Welfare Science

Animal Welfare Technology: AI and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming welfare monitoring, enabling real-time assessment of animal states at previously impossible scales.

Key Facts

Computer vision systems can now detect lameness, respiratory distress, and abnormal behaviour with over 90% accuracy
Vocalisation analysis AI can identify pain and distress calls in pigs, cattle, and poultry in real-time
Machine learning models applied to production data can predict welfare problems before clinical signs appear
AI welfare monitoring is becoming commercially available for dairy, pig, and poultry systems

Welfare Considerations

AI-based welfare monitoring represents a step-change in the capacity to detect and respond to welfare problems in commercial animal production. Early detection of health problems reduces the duration of undetected suffering. The technology supports but does not replace skilled human care and welfare culture.

What You Can Do

Support investment in AI welfare monitoring technology in farm improvement programmes
Engage with research on the welfare outcomes of AI-based monitoring systems
Advocate for AI monitoring to be recognised in welfare certification schemes as equivalent to increased inspection frequency