Project summary

Almost a year ago, I found EA. Quite frankly, it found me. I was at a place in my life where I was lost. I had so many interests and so much nervous energy that I didn’t have focus. I was quietly hoping for a way to translate my intellect and empathy into impact. After my intro course, I went deeper into EA and animal welfare, taking fellowships from EA-aligned organizations even through my final exams. I was fascinated, exploring ideas from the crazy and impossible to the promising, and connecting with EAs along the way.

When I was taking Future Kind’s AI for Animals, my project started with researching the application of AI-assisted animal communication in veterinary science. It ended somewhere wilder: creating a multimodal chatbot to aid veterinarians in diagnosis, but also serve as a data pipeline that captures aggregated, anonymized welfare data on the farms they visit. It could potentially be instrumental in improving the welfare of millions of animals in my country (Nigeria), and help prevent lock-in of factory farming values in the rapidly growing animal production industry.

I got accepted for EAG London and intended to discuss this with experts, get feedback, refine, find a middle ground, or even discover a better way to be impactful to the millions of animals over here. I could also potentially get collaborations and funding to make this happen. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the travel support to attend.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

My goal is to attend EAG London to connect with other animal welfare researchers, AI practitioners, and policy people who can stress-test this idea. I have a veterinary background and a network of practicing veterinarians interested in such a tool. At EAG I would get the feedback, clarity, and potentially instrumental collaboration(s) necessary to move forward with this. I would land back in Nigeria with a refined project, a sense of where it fits in the broader ecosystem, and next steps to execute.

How will this funding be used?

Travel Budget Breakdown

​1. Accommodation

£115 per night × 4 nights

Total: £460

​2. Round-Trip Flight (economy)

Total: £815

3. Local Transport in London

Airport ↔️ Accommodation (roundtrip)

Total: £27

​4. Visa Fees

UK visa application fee

Total: £127

​Subtotal: £1,429.00

Estimated Total (including 10% contingency): £1,571.90 (~$2,100)

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am working on the literature review that led to this idea with my mentor, Dr Anna N Osiecka (Humboldt University, specialist in animal behaviour and welfare).

I captured our progress as of mid-March in this article and we’re still reviewing and exploring the latest technology in animal communication and developing the ideas behind a companion animal Caretaker Support App.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

If this project fails, I don’t get to attend EAG London. I would still pursue this idea as best I can, but I would greatly benefit from a room full of the right people. My research would continue, and knowing that I’m also considering it’s application for farmed animals and Nigeria has one of the largest animal production industries on the continent and figuring this out without the right collaborations would cost me significantly more time. If I don’t attend, I wouldn’t have as many of the right discussions, nor would I physically connect with other EAs to continue developing the idea even after the event. Attending means saving time, energy, and resources, allowing me to put out effective solutions earlier than I could without that foundation.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

None. Access to scientific literature, article processing charges, and a contribution towards developer fees are covered by the mentor’s grant at Humboldt University.