Artificial Intelligence-powered fossil shark tooth identification: Unleashing the potential of Convolutional Neural Networks

Understand

All fields of knowledge are being impacted by Artificial Intelligence.

• In particular, the Deep Learning paradigm enables the development of data analysis tools that support subject matter experts in a variety of sectors, from physics up to the recognition of ancient languages.
• Palaeontology is now observing this trend as well.
• This study explores the capability of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), a particular class of Deep Learning algorithms specifically crafted for computer vision tasks, to classify images of isolated fossil shark teeth gathered from online datasets as well as from the authors$'$ experience on Peruvian Miocene and Italian Pliocene fossil assemblages.