Kew Botanic Gardens Digitizes 7 Million Specimens, Eyes AI for Biodiversity Fight
Kew Botanic Gardens has successfully completed the digitization of its extensive collections, which include 7 million specimens. This monumental effort involved comprehensively scanning its botanical archives. The initiative aims to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which are anticipated to play a role in the global fight against biodiversity loss.
Kew Botanic Gardens has completed a comprehensive scanning initiative of its collections, successfully digitizing 7 million specimens. This extensive project involved creating digital records of its botanical holdings from every box in its archives.
The digitization effort is intended to support new approaches in botanical research and conservation. Experts suggest that artificial intelligence (AI) tools could utilize this newly accessible digital data to contribute to global efforts in combating biodiversity loss.
The completion of this project was reported online on June 15, 2026. According to Nature News, this development marks a significant step in making vast botanical data available for scientific advancement.


