Understanding pig language with AI technology

European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm capable of decoding pig sounds, aiming to create a tool to help farmers improve the lives of animals.

A team of experts from Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, Norway and the Czech Republic used thousands of recorded sounds from pigs in various situations, such as playing, being isolated or fighting over food. Through their research, they identified sounds that expressed positive or negative emotions in the animals.

A pig farm. (Illustration photo).

According to behavioral biologist Elodie Mandel-Briefer of the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) - co-lead of the study, understanding animal language will contribute significantly to improving the lives of animals in farming.

While many farmers already have a good understanding of their animals' well-being through observing them in their barns, existing tools mainly measure physical conditions. The new AI algorithm not only helps farmers better understand their pigs' emotions, but also alerts them to negative signs, thereby improving the animals' mental health.

The study found that pigs raised on outdoor, free-range or organic farms produced fewer stress sounds than pigs raised on conventional methods. The researchers believe that the method, once fully developed, could be used to label farms, making it easier for consumers to choose their products.

According to the study, short calls typically indicate positive emotions , while long calls typically signal discomfort , such as when pigs crowd around the feeding trough. High-frequency sounds indicate that pigs are stressed, such as when they are in pain, fighting, or separated from the herd.

The scientists used these findings to create an AI-powered algorithm. 'AI helped us both process the large volume of audio we were capturing and automatically classify the sounds,' said Mandel -Briefer .