Using AI to identify chick distress calls in large poultry farms

A team of researchers from the City University of Hong Kong, working with several colleagues from the U.K., has modified an AI application for use in detecting chick distress calls in noisy environments. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the group describes the modifications they made to a commercially available AI application and how well it worked when tested on a working poultry farm. As the world's global human population grows, farmers seek ways to improve efficiency. In this new effort, the researchers tested the idea of using artificial intelligence to identify and locate chicks in distress housed in very large buildings. Large commercial poultry farms typically house thousands of animals in large, airplane hangar–sized buildings.