As artificial intelligence is applied in more and more settings, entomologists say it is boosting efficiency in insect science, as well—including in the curation and digitization of museum insect collections. While entomologists are putting AI into action, they say it still requires careful human oversight to expand discovery while preserving scientific rigor. A recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America explores several case studies of AI use in entomology. (Photo by Joe Rominiecki, ESA)

By Rayda K. Krell, Ph.D.

As we wrap up the 2026 college graduation season, you can likely guess what was one of the most frequently mentioned commencement speech topics. Yes. Our newest old friend (or nemesis), artificial intelligence. But are any thought leaders discussing how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect entomology?

For example, in 2016 and 2021, Stanford University released reports from The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100). The study seeks to “…examine and anticipate how the effects of artificial intelligence will ripple through every aspect of how people work, live and play.” While the reports discuss the major trends and research related to AI, neither includes the words “entomology” or “insect.” While not entirely surprising, the lack of mention of entomology highlights the need for disciplines to take their own look at the use of AI and the specific opportunities and concerns.

To better understand this moment regarding AI use in entomology, several colleagues and I organized a symposium at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America titled “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Entomology: An Aid to Publishing, Research, and Teaching.” We invited seven speakers using AI in entomology to share how they use it and their perspectives on its potential, as well as their concerns. The symposium generated diverse conversations around how AI could transform entomology. To capture the conversation at this moment in our discipline, the presenters collaborated on a recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America titled “Perspectives on the use of artificial intelligence in entomology.“

As artificial intelligence is applied in more and more settings, entomologists say it is boosting efficiency in insect science, as well. From translating outreach to tracking pests, entomologists are putting AI into action, but it still requires careful human oversight to expand discovery while preserving scientific rigor. A recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America explores several case studies of AI use in entomology. Here, Ric Bessin, Ph.D., entomology extension faculty at the University of Kentucky, speaks during a symposium on the same topic at Entomology 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Rayda K. Krell, Ph.D.)

As artificial intelligence is applied in more and more settings, entomologists say it is boosting efficiency in insect science, as well. From translating outreach to tracking pests, entomologists are putting AI into action, but it still requires careful human oversight to expand discovery while preserving scientific rigor. A recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America explores several case studies of AI use in entomology. Here, Alison Gerken, Ph.D., research quantitative ecologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, speaks during a symposium on the same topic at Entomology 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Rayda K. Krell, Ph.D.)

As artificial intelligence is applied in more and more settings, entomologists say it is boosting efficiency in insect science, as well. From translating outreach to tracking pests, entomologists are putting AI into action, but it still requires careful human oversight to expand discovery while preserving scientific rigor. A recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America explores several case studies of AI use in entomology. Here, Jinnie Kim of Oxford University Press speaks during a symposium on the same topic at Entomology 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Rayda K. Krell, Ph.D.)

As artificial intelligence is applied in more and more settings, entomologists say it is boosting efficiency in insect science, as well. From translating outreach to tracking pests, entomologists are putting AI into action, but it still requires careful human oversight to expand discovery while preserving scientific rigor. A recent article in Annals of the Entomological Society of America explores several case studies of AI use in entomology. Here, speakers host a paenl discussion at a symposium on the same topic at Entomology 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Melissa W. Siebert, Ph.D., BCE)

In the article, we present opportunities and cautions for use of AI in five case studies in the following areas:

Translation of extension resources. In this case study, Ric Bessin, Ph.D., entomology extension faculty at the University of Kentucky, describes how AI was used to offer pesticide applicator training materials in Spanish. While there are caveats to its use, overall the experience of using AI to translate materials enabled capability and capacity that a state extension program would not have otherwise had.

Monitoring stored product pests. In another example, Alison Gerken, Ph.D., research quantitative ecologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, shares how AI-based computer vision and image analysis is being used for detection and identification of stored-product insect pests in bulk grain and other grain-storage environments. While the primary challenge continues to be accuracy of pest identification, the technology holds promise for monitoring in an otherwise challenging system.

Cataloging museum specimens. A third case study described by Elizabeth Postema, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum, discusses the use of AI in museum curation and digitization and its use to study the ecology and evolution of insect color. She explains there is certainly efficiency to be gained with the use of AI but that it still works best as a tool to support, rather than replace, human involvement.

Study of dominance hierarchies in social insects. In another application, Ted Pavlic, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence at Arizona State University, shares his research using AI to understand how complex social structures emerge from simple individual behaviors. Specifically, he has examined how individual-level actions contribute to the formation and maintenance of dominance hierarchies in ants such as Harpegnathos saltator, sometimes known as Jerdon’s jumping ant. As in other case studies, AI provides advantages to manage complex data more efficiently, but human oversight is still required to test these generative tools to ensure that synthetic stimuli produce authentic behavioral responses.

Scientific publications. Last, in a somewhat “meta” scenario, the published paper also explores the use of AI in scientific publications, both in generating publications and in the publications process itself. The paper shares a table that was created for the ESA Publications Council and is used by ESA Publications to inform guidelines on the use of AI in publishing, research, peer review, and editing. The table will require periodic revision, but it fills a gap in an approach to embrace innovation while preserving the rigor and authenticity of entomological research. (Full disclosure: In following the ESA Publications disclosure guidelines on the use of AI, the only use of AI for this article in Annals of the ESA was to create the cover letter accompanying the original manuscript submission.)

Collectively, these case studies illustrate how AI can enhance efficiency, expand the scope of questions that can be asked, and democratize access to advanced research tools. At the same time, they emphasize the importance of careful oversight, given risks such as mistranslations, misclassifications, and overreliance on generative outputs.

This article represents just a snapshot of the rapidly evolving landscape of the AI-entomology interface. But, at this moment, the collective impression from entomologists in the symposium was mostly optimism about the potential to accelerate our science by adding efficiency in research tasks, decreasing tedium in routine analysis and formatting, and increasing bandwidth for the human, creative part of science that cannot be replicated by AI trained on what already exists.

Rayda K. Krell, Ph.D., is a technical knowledge solutions scientist at Corteva Agriscience. Email: [email protected].