In this blog post, I’d like to examine how we should view the moral status of animals as we transition from factory farming to smart livestock farming, and what role artificial intelligence and information and communication technology can play in achieving animal welfare.

From Factory Farming to Smart Livestock Farming

A new wave of change is stirring on farms that raise animals for human consumption. At the center of this wave is smart livestock farming. Smart livestock farming refers to a system that utilizes information and communication technology (ICT), data, and automation to manage livestock’s rearing environments, health, feeding, and production in accordance with the specific characteristics of each species. Recently, the scope of technology application has expanded beyond simply reducing labor and increasing productivity to include managing livestock health and welfare and preventing disease. If farm animals were viewed merely as food resources, would these changes have garnered such attention? At the government policy level as well, efforts to develop and disseminate technologies related to smart agriculture and smart livestock farming continue to be promoted. Therefore, I would like to examine the philosophical motivations behind this new initiative, the benefits it can bring to humans, and, ultimately, the role that artificial intelligence can play in this process.
Traditional livestock systems and rearing practices took forms that would be unimaginable if farm animals were treated with respect. As the nutrients and vitamins (such as A and D) necessary for animals were identified, the need for livestock to exercise or be exposed to sunlight for growth diminished somewhat; consequently, livestock came to be treated, quite literally, like commodities produced in a factory. This is known as factory farming, where various unethical methods were employed to maximize profits at minimal cost in pursuit of the most economically rational production. For example, animals were subjected to artificial procedures such as castration, burning the bases of their horns or cutting them off with tools, tail docking, tooth extraction, and beak trimming. Furthermore, the artificial use of substances such as growth-promoting hormones, anabolic steroids, and sex hormones led to animals being treated as mere objects of production in ways that showed little respect for life. Criticism of this factory-style livestock farming sparked a social debate on animal suffering and welfare, and today, there is an ongoing movement to improve livestock systems by taking into account both the rearing environment and the animals’ health and behavior.

Do Animals Have Moral Status?

In this context, a philosophical debate emerged regarding the ethical treatment of animals. Robert Nozick presented an interesting example that prompts reflection on the relationship between humans and animals. A batter in a baseball game enjoys hitting the ball with a bat and does so frequently, but that does not mean he would hit a person on the head with that same bat in the same way. Similarly, if humans do not indiscriminately inflict violence on cats, it can be argued that cats—unlike mere objects or tools—possess an intrinsic value that warrants moral respect. Historically, many philosophers have argued that if animals are sentient beings capable of feeling pain or pleasure and distinguishing between their own benefit and harm, they should be the subject of moral consideration. James Rachels, too, while examining what constitutes a morally relevant criterion for justifying a certain treatment, argued that the fact that animals cannot read, write, or do math cannot be a relevant criterion for determining moral treatment; rather, the crucial criterion is sentience—the ability to experience pain and pleasure. Nozick’s essay was published in ‘The New York Times Book Review’ in 1983, and Rachels’ “The Basic Argument for Vegetarianism” was included in a collection of essays published in 2004.
These arguments—that we should respect animals, which are species distinct from humans, and care for their welfare—have become one of the key driving forces behind the shift from traditional factory farming to smart livestock farming. Today’s smart livestock farming goes beyond simply managing farm environments and rearing processes through the adoption of information and communication technology; it is evolving toward continuously monitoring the condition of livestock and collecting and analyzing data using sensors, cameras, and automated devices. Whereas the focus was previously on managing the environment of the entire farm, technologies for assessing and managing the condition of individual animals have now become a key area. This includes environmental management that monitors conditions inside livestock barns—such as temperature, humidity, power outages, and fires—while utilizing external weather data, wind direction, and wind speed, and performing information collection and remote monitoring via CCTV and other means. Additionally, automation technologies can be applied to livestock rearing and production processes, including feed bin management, feeding, water management, and selection for shipment. Combined with technologies that collect and analyze data on livestock behavior and physiological conditions to assess health status and detect diseases, the potential for individual-level management is also expanding. The development of these technologies continues to advance in the fields of smart agriculture and smart livestock farming, and their scope of application is expanding further with advancements in artificial intelligence and data analysis.

How Can Artificial Intelligence Change Animal Welfare?

While on the surface these technologies may seem designed to reduce labor costs, increase productivity, and enhance the competitiveness of farms, smart livestock farming technologies represent a small step forward—moving beyond the era dominated by factory farming toward an era where animals are viewed not merely as products but as beings deserving of respect. In particular, the ability to continuously monitor animal behavior and health status and accumulate individual-level data is significant in terms of realizing animal welfare. While there are practical limits to humans observing every individual at the same time and with the same frequency, utilizing sensors, cameras, and data analysis systems can help continuously monitor for signs of abnormality in individual animals and take necessary measures.
I believe that considering the moral status of animals and treating them accordingly is something that humans, with their high intellectual capacity, are capable of doing—and indeed, must do. Furthermore, defining specific subjects in this way and considering how to treat them is closely linked to the principle that we must not discriminate against people of other races, religions, or nationalities without rational grounds. As humans strive to become more rational beings, information and communication technologies—including artificial intelligence—can play a crucial role. This is because continuous data analysis and individual management using artificial intelligence can help identify changes that humans might overlook and manage the condition of animals according to consistent standards. Of course, artificial intelligence itself does not replace ethical judgment. It is up to humans to establish criteria for what entities deserve respect and what treatment is justified; artificial intelligence can serve as a powerful tool for applying such moral principles to actual livestock environments and continuously monitoring their implementation. Ultimately, if humans establish moral principles that take animal suffering and welfare into account, and AI provides the technical foundation to put them into practice, smart livestock farming could serve as an opportunity to rethink the relationship between humans and animals—going beyond mere productivity improvements.