Abstract The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into livestock farming represents a systemic transformation rather than a mere technological upgrade. This article examines the infrastructural, organisational, and cultural shifts required to make farms “AI-ready” and capable of harnessing digital innovations effectively. Key challenges include redesigning facilities to optimise sensor coverage and animal welfare, ensuring interoperability across data systems, and building robust technological infrastructures for real-time monitoring and predictive management. The transition demands new professional profiles, such as digital field operators and AI system managers, alongside continuous training to develop both technological skills and critical interpretative capacity. Cybersecurity emerges as a central concern, as digitalisation increases vulnerability to cyber threats, requiring strict governance of data access, device protection, and staff awareness. Moreover, AI adoption reshapes workflows: fixed routines give way to adaptive, data-driven decision-making processes, reducing stress on animals and enabling early detection of health or environmental risks. Collaboration also evolves, with consultants, researchers, and suppliers integrated into digital platforms for continuous, evidencebased support and co-development of AI solutions. The article argues that only a holistic approach-combining infrastructure redesign, workforce transformation, data standardisation, and secure digital ecosystems can ensure that AI delivers tangible benefits in sustainability, productivity, and animal welfare. Ignoring the systemic dimension of this change risks confining innovation to isolated pilot projects, whereas a strategic, inclusive adoption has the potential to position European livestock farming at the forefront of agri-food innovation.
Andrea Rosati (Tue,) studied this question.