About the AI & Animal Welfare Lab

AI can play a significant role in animal welfare through several potential applications. Sensors and cameras can be used to monitor animal behaviour and detect abnormalities that may indicate discomfort or illness. Computer vision technology can help identify signs of pain or distress or positive markers for wellbeing, while machine learning algorithms can be trained to recognise and understand different types of behaviour and emotions in animals. AI can also be used to identify patterns and trends in animal welfare data, helping us develop better measures and strategies for improving animal welfare.

But how to realise this potential in practice, when data ownership, privacy, security and data exchange restrictions pose major challenges? And how do we take into account ethical considerations and societal concerns to build responsible AI innovations? 

The AI & Animal Welfare Lab serves as a research and education hub that brings together scientists, professionals, students and entrepreneurs. We will collectively contribute to data-driven animal welfare solutions, in cooperation with sector partners. 

The AI & Animal Welfare Lab will focus on the following themes: 

  • positive animal welfare
  • locomotion and activity
  • automated welfare monitoring in different settings
  • human-animal interactions

In addition, we address two cross-cutting themes that are relevant to all of the specific themes mentioned above: the integration of data and techniques and the responsible use of AI.