I wrote a blog about this! Here’s the relevant passage:
"[iNaturalist] functions like a social media site for nature lovers, where people share their photos or audio of living organisms from any domain or kingdom of life through submissions called “observations”. Users work together to help each other identify the species depicted. As well, artificial intelligence technology can help determine which organisms may be in the photo.
iNaturalist observations have real implications for science and their data is used worldwide. An unofficial list cultivated by users on the site’s forum keeps track of published scientific papers that incorporate iNaturalist data; the list has 42 entries from 2020 alone, in publication topics ranging from changes in morphology in leopard frogs in California to a leaf beetle being found in Bulgaria for the first time."
It’s not much different than what others have already said, and were I explaining it in person, I’d word it pretty much the same way @tiwane and @earthknight did.