Israeli researchers develop AI that can detect hidden pain in horses
Israeli researchers have developed an AI framework called SHIC-XE that uses video analysis to detect signs of pain in horses. This technology aims to assist veterinarians in identifying distress in non-verbal subjects, with potential applications for humans who cannot communicate pain.
Why it matters
Advancements in AI-driven pain detection could significantly improve animal welfare and provide new diagnostic tools for human medical care.
Can a horse talk and tell you when it's in pain? Of course not, unless it was Mister Ed, the palomino gelding star of the popular 1960s TV sitcom that could talk, but only to its owner, Wilbur Post – an architect who moved into a suburban home with a barn in the backyard and was the only person worth talking to.Ed would make phone calls, offer witty, sarcastic commentary on human affairs, or cause mischief, leaving Wilbur in bizarre situations and trying to explain his horse's behavior to everyone without revealing Ed's secret.Dr. Marcelo Feighelstein, head of the Artificial Intelligence Systems Engineering Program at Tel Hai University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee (which has just taken a step up from being Tel Hai College), is not Wilbur Post – but he did want to discover when horses and other animals suffer from pain.
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