Artificial Intelligence, digital forester in waiting

AI (artificial intelligence) burst upon the scene a couple of years ago. Its pace of development has moved exceedingly rapidly, leading to widespread application, as well as generating concerns about where it all leads. This article focuses on the former, and in particular on the remarkable ability that AI has in generating computer code. The article attempts to demonstrate that ability by having ChatGPT’s Codex coding agent program solutions for two well-known forestry problems – simple point sample forest inventory compilation and the much more complex wood supply modelling. In step-by-step fashion, the article describes building functional Java language solutions for these two problems, using Unix on a Macintosh computer. The article notes that while using the Codex agent is not for the digitally challenged, it nonetheless does not require coding experience. The article demonstrates that Codex, and similar coding agents, offer incredible application opportunities in forestry. The article wonders if our forestry professionals and our forestry schools are attuned.