Chinese farmers are using AI to help rear the world's biggest pig population

For centuries, pig-rearing in the country was predominantly a backyard occupation. But since the 1980s, China has swiftly modernized its pork industry to meet the demands of a newly-rich middle class. Now, half of the world's pigs -- some 700 million animals -- live and die in China, most in huge farms. And to help manage this porcine horde, the country's farmers are turning to a decidedly untraditional tool: artificial intelligence. Earlier this month, Chinese tech giant Alibaba signed a deal with pig farming corporation Dekon Group and pig feed manufacturer Tequ Group to develop and deploy AI-powered pig-tracking systems.