New technologies including AI analysis, wearable sensors, and automated cameras are transforming the ability to monitor and improve animal welfare at scale.
Technology is enabling welfare monitoring at a scale and resolution previously impossible. Continuous sensor-based detection of lameness, pain, and distress allows welfare problems to be identified and addressed far earlier than was possible with daily human observation. AI analysis of facial expressions and vocalizations provides objective welfare assessment that is less subject to observer bias and habituation. These technologies do not replace good welfare management, but they dramatically enhance the ability to identify and respond to welfare problems as they develop.