We are thrilled to announce that Animal Ethics has just launched AI & Animals: A Documentary. The film explores the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the situation of animals—a crucial topic that remains largely undiscussed. It addresses the present and potential use of AI in factory farms and, conversely, in reducing wild animal suffering. It also examines how reducing speciesist attitudes in frontier AI systems can have an impact in the present and the future. Finally, it considers how AI tools could boost our efforts in animal advocacy.
The documentary is freely available for anyone to watch and show to others.
You can visit the documentary website here: www.AIandAnimals.org
The documentary brings together 16 of the world’s leading voices on AI and animal advocacy and scholarship from different continents and fields, including:
·⠀Peter Singer · Princeton University
·⠀Max Taylor · Animal Charity Evaluators
·⠀Constance Li · Sentient Futures
·⠀Jonathan Birch · London School of Economics
·⠀Bernice Bovenkerk · Wageningen University & Research
·⠀Tse Yip Fai · National University of Singapore
·⠀Aditya S. Karanam · Animal Ethics
·⠀Jeff Sebo · New York University
·⠀Oscar Horta · Animal Ethics | University of Santiago de Compostela
·⠀Vanessa Sarre · Macroscopic Ventures
·⠀Adrià Moret · University of Barcelona
·⠀Caatje Kluskens · Wageningen University & Research
·⠀Sam Tucker · Open Paws
·⠀Kevin Xia · Hive Matti Wilks · University of Edinburgh
·⠀Alexandra Hammond · Liverpool John Moores University
While AI’s impact on humanity dominates headlines, its effects on nonhuman animals receive virtually no attention. Yet AI will significantly impact the lives of animals in the near and far future, for better or worse.
Animal advocates face an urgent choice in light of the impact of AI on sentient beings: react after harm is done, or prevent catastrophe before it unfolds.
History shows us the cost of being merely reactive instead of proactive. We failed to prevent factory farming before it became entrenched. We failed to stop industrial fish farming before billions suffered in cramped conditions. We failed to anticipate insect farming’s explosive growth.
With AI, we cannot afford to make the same mistake.
The documentary addresses both potential uses of AI that could harm animals, such as using it to increase the efficiency of animal exploitation and ways to use it to benefit them, not only by preventing harm but also by promoting the interests of all sentient beings. For example, AI could be used to plan programs to help wild animals, to increase the efficiency of advocacy work, to create alternatives to the use of animals in food and testing, and even to facilitate interspecies communication and better understand animals’ needs.
The film also discusses the possibility of AI replicating the biases that humans hold—such as speciesism, and discrimination against certain animals like invertebrates and aquatic species—and the possibility of aligning AI so that it does not hold speciesist values and does not influence its users to hold them either. Currently, AI companies determine the values that AI systems will have. This presents an opportunity for animal advocates to influence these companies to include concern for animals in those values. The importance of aligning AI with anti-speciesist values is significant, since AI will likely develop its own goals in the not-too-distant future.
The documentary also discusses the importance of adopting a proactive approach focused on preventing risks and anticipating future problems, rather than simply trying to reduce existing harms. One reason to focus on proactive work is that it is easier to prevent a problem while it is emerging than to fix one that is already entrenched. This is an urgent issue and one that is highly neglected due to the presence of temporal bias, which leads us to give less weight to individuals who will exist in the future. Among the future-oriented issues the documentary addresses is the possibility of the emergence of digital sentience.
The more we use AI in favor of animals and make AI take animals into account, the better the future will be for them. This topic remains highly neglected by animal advocates. Meanwhile, the industry is already using AI, and will increasingly do so to boost the efficiency of animal exploitation. The more animal advocates learn to use AI effectively, the better positioned they will be to make a difference for animals. This is analogous to when the internet emerged, only on a much larger scale. This documentary addresses a critically important topic that, unfortunately, remains deeply overlooked.
You can help us increase the impact of this documentary in these ways:
Share: Spread concern by sharing AI & Animals: A Documentary on your social media or website so it can reach more people.
Host a screening: Every person who understands this issue can potentially become an advocate for change. You can help by hosting a screening in your community. You can do it on your own or contact [email protected] for more information.
Support our work
None of our work, including this documentary, would be possible without the generosity of our financial supporters. If you believe our work is worthwhile, please donate to Animal Ethics today. Your support will help us continue this vital work in 2026.
Documentary credits
Directed by: Alba García Bernal & Oscar Horta
Produced by: Animal Ethics
Photography and editing: Xiana Castro
Narrated by: Samantha Damiano
Music and sound editing: Extreme Music, Álvaro Iglesias
Images: Animals’ View, Sentient Futures, Xiana Castro, Ruth Montiel Arias, Carlota Saorsa, Bel González, Aitor Garmendia, Linas Korta, Zone3 Media, Kallista Helen, Marty Calabrese, Hewan liar di alam, Samuel Fitton, Ben Smith, Harry Peachey, IdentiFlight Aerial Detection System