Could AI Help Or Harm Our Pets?

Imagine the ability to understand your pet. Wouldn’t it be helpful to understand our pet’s needs and what they want when they approach us and look at us inquisitively?

Wouldn’t it be great to have a smart system to help us manage our pet’s feeding schedule, litter box, and daily walks – all designed to enhance pet care, provide peace of mind for pet owners, and improve the overall well-being of our pets?

There’s no better time than the present to explore the technologies we have available to us today and see what existing systems can help us in this regard.

There are automatic feeders, self-cleaning litter boxes, and all sorts of alarms and reminders that help us remember when to walk our pets.

Some devices can even be controlled via smartphone apps.

Smart pet collars can now come with GPS tracking, activity monitoring, and health tracking features.

Interactive toys, like the iFetch or Petcube Bites, are designed to keep pets entertained and mentally stimulated. These toys can dispense treats, be controlled remotely, and have various play modes.

Smart pet doors can be programmed to allow only certain pets in and out, keep out unwanted animals, and can also be controlled via a smartphone app.

AI pet temperature control systems can help maintain a comfortable temperature for pets in outdoor shelters or indoor spaces, providing owners with one less thing to worry about.

Some believe that while there are benefits to AI and technology helping to manage our pets, there are also dangers that need to be addressed.

According to a recent article by author Sydney Page in the Washington Post, “Although many new pet products show promise for improving health, safety and quality of life, AI is fraught with possible dangers. Beyond privacy and ethical concerns, experts caution advanced technologies could splinter the cherished bond between humans and animals.”

In other words, some people worry that relying too much on technology for pet care can lead to reduced human interaction and attention, which are essential for a pet's emotional and social well-being.

This is a real concern and should not be readily dismissed.

Concerns over privacy and data security, as briefly mentioned by Page, are also serious.

Many pet technologies, such as smart collars and pet cameras, collect and transmit data, raising concerns about how this data is used, stored, and protected.

Regarding automatic food and water dispensers and litter boxes, there is always the risk that these and other smart devices could malfunction, potentially leading to missed feeding, unclean environments, or inaccurate health monitoring.

Many pet technologies require a stable power source and internet connectivity. Power outages or connectivity issues could render these devices useless.

Obviously, any type of malfunction would be unhealthy and even potentially dangerous for our pets.

However, AI, in general, could, in fact, help us with remote monitoring as two-way communication allows owners to check on their pets and interact with them. AI also has the ability to analyze behavior to alert owners of any unusual activities. With AI data, our pet’s veterinarian could automatically and remotely diagnose any existing issues.

As AI technology progresses, it will be easier to track the health of our pets, care for them while we are away, and by helping us better understand our pets, help us enhance our relationship with them.