Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review
This study presents a bibliometric review aimed at mapping and analyzing the scientific literature related to the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in livestock farming, which is a rapidly emerging yet still underexplored field in international research. Based on the Scopus databa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | AgriEngineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/7/7/202 |
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| author | Taize Calvacante Santana Cristiane Guiselini Héliton Pandorfi Ricardo Brauer Vigoderis José Antônio Delfino Barbosa Filho Rodrigo Gabriel Ferreira Soares Maria de Fátima Araújo Nicoly Farias Gomes Leandro Dias de Lima Paulo César da Silva Santos |
| author_facet | Taize Calvacante Santana Cristiane Guiselini Héliton Pandorfi Ricardo Brauer Vigoderis José Antônio Delfino Barbosa Filho Rodrigo Gabriel Ferreira Soares Maria de Fátima Araújo Nicoly Farias Gomes Leandro Dias de Lima Paulo César da Silva Santos |
| author_sort | Taize Calvacante Santana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study presents a bibliometric review aimed at mapping and analyzing the scientific literature related to the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in livestock farming, which is a rapidly emerging yet still underexplored field in international research. Based on the Scopus database, 151 documents published between 2015 and 2025 were identified and analyzed using the VOSviewer version 1.6.20 and Biblioshiny for Bibliometrix (RStudio version 2023.12.1) tools. The results show a significant increase in publications from 2021 onwards, reflecting the growing maturity of discussions around the integration of digital technologies in the agricultural sector. Keyword co-occurrence and bibliographic coupling analyses revealed the formation of four main thematic clusters, covering technical applications in precision livestock farming as well as reflections on governance, animal welfare, and algorithmic justice. The most influential authors, high-impact journals, and leading countries in the field were also identified. As a key contribution, this study highlights the lack of robust ethical guidelines and proposes future research directions for the development of regulatory frameworks, codes of conduct, and interdisciplinary approaches. The findings underscore the importance of aligning technological innovation with ethical responsibility and social inclusion in the transition to digital livestock farming. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2ab281ea0844f73b6fd1fc9e3a3b71f |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2624-7402 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AgriEngineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2ab281ea0844f73b6fd1fc9e3a3b71f2025-07-25T13:09:31ZengMDPI AGAgriEngineering2624-74022025-06-017720210.3390/agriengineering7070202Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric ReviewTaize Calvacante Santana0Cristiane Guiselini1Héliton Pandorfi2Ricardo Brauer Vigoderis3José Antônio Delfino Barbosa Filho4Rodrigo Gabriel Ferreira Soares5Maria de Fátima Araújo6Nicoly Farias Gomes7Leandro Dias de Lima8Paulo César da Silva Santos9Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilGraduate Program in Environmental Sciences, Federal University of Agreste of Pernambuco (UFAPE), Garanhuns 55292-270, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza 60020-181, Ceará, BrazilDepartment of Statistics and Informatics, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Forest Sciences, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilDepartment of Forest Sciences, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, Pernambuco, BrazilThis study presents a bibliometric review aimed at mapping and analyzing the scientific literature related to the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in livestock farming, which is a rapidly emerging yet still underexplored field in international research. Based on the Scopus database, 151 documents published between 2015 and 2025 were identified and analyzed using the VOSviewer version 1.6.20 and Biblioshiny for Bibliometrix (RStudio version 2023.12.1) tools. The results show a significant increase in publications from 2021 onwards, reflecting the growing maturity of discussions around the integration of digital technologies in the agricultural sector. Keyword co-occurrence and bibliographic coupling analyses revealed the formation of four main thematic clusters, covering technical applications in precision livestock farming as well as reflections on governance, animal welfare, and algorithmic justice. The most influential authors, high-impact journals, and leading countries in the field were also identified. As a key contribution, this study highlights the lack of robust ethical guidelines and proposes future research directions for the development of regulatory frameworks, codes of conduct, and interdisciplinary approaches. The findings underscore the importance of aligning technological innovation with ethical responsibility and social inclusion in the transition to digital livestock farming.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/7/7/202artificial intelligencedigital livestock farmingapplied ethicsanimal welfaretechnological governanceagriculture 4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Taize Calvacante Santana Cristiane Guiselini Héliton Pandorfi Ricardo Brauer Vigoderis José Antônio Delfino Barbosa Filho Rodrigo Gabriel Ferreira Soares Maria de Fátima Araújo Nicoly Farias Gomes Leandro Dias de Lima Paulo César da Silva Santos Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review AgriEngineering artificial intelligence digital livestock farming applied ethics animal welfare technological governance agriculture 4.0 |
| title | Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review |
| title_full | Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review |
| title_fullStr | Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review |
| title_short | Ethics, Animal Welfare, and Artificial Intelligence in Livestock: A Bibliometric Review |
| title_sort | ethics animal welfare and artificial intelligence in livestock a bibliometric review |
| topic | artificial intelligence digital livestock farming applied ethics animal welfare technological governance agriculture 4.0 |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-7402/7/7/202 |
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