Let me preface this by saying that I do share some of the concerns outlined above, but want to offer 2 points to provide extra perspective.
Point 1
It looks like the question of “why” got brought up several times.
This is usually followed up by something like this:
I’ve wanted something like this a long time too and still think it would be helpful with or without AI. However, I also understand the desire to mine what has already been given instead of trying to create something new. Regardless of whether the particular approach is good or not, I like that the staff are thinking this way. Having been here for over ten years and having much less time to contribute in a deliberate way than I used to, I’m not sure whether I could recreate the knowledge I’ve shared over the past years in a wiki format. It would take a lot of effort to do so. Manually entering differences like this is much, much more intensive than having a computer go through and pull the info.
Point 2
Several mentioned that they might delete their accounts (including their observations and identifications) over this. I don’t really want to argue about whether these reasons are justified or not. Only that there have been a couple of things come up that made me want to delete my account. Ultimately, I couldn’t do it because I believe that what I’ve created on here is more important than the things that made me want to leave. If/when I do leave, I will plan not to delete my account. If the issue that comes up is so terrible that leaving my data isn’t an option (morally, ethically, or logistically), I will do my best to download it and make sure it gets in the hands of biodiversity researchers and curious naturalists. This is because I want future naturalists to be able to look at my data and discover new things from it.
Please remember the service you are providing to the scientific community, the future of naturalists, and the future of biodiversity as a whole just by leaving observations here. iNat data has formed the basis for new species descriptions, range extensions, niche modeling studies, and so much more. If you do decide to take your data off iNaturalist, please think about what you will do with it before it’s lost forever.