"AI Chickens" Serve Up a Taste of Technology in Shenzhen

Students at Shenzhen University have used AI technology to increase Silkie chicken production by 30 percent. The Tencent Cloud Artificial Intelligence Class offered free "AI chicken soup" to celebrate the breakthrough. The intelligent breeding system utilises deep learning and computer vision technologies to monitor and track the chickens.

In a groundbreaking development, students at Shenzhen University in Guangdong province have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise Silkie chicken farming. The result? A remarkable 30 percent increase in production.

To celebrate this achievement, the Tencent Cloud Artificial Intelligence Class, a collaboration between the university and tech giant Tencent, has been offering free "AI chicken soup" to all teachers and students at the university's cafeteria.

Silkie chickens, known for their fluffy feathers resembling silk or satin, possess unique characteristics such as black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and an extra toe on each foot. The students at Shenzhen University have dedicated themselves to developing an intelligent breeding system for these special chickens in Chishui, Guizhou province.

The project aimed to address the challenges faced by large-scale farming, particularly in monitoring the health and movement of free-range chickens with a breeding history spanning 300 years. Leveraging their previous success in developing an AI goose breed in Shantou, Guangdong, the students utilised deep learning and computer vision technologies to create the world's first intelligent Silkie chicken breeding system.

By employing target detection, tracking, and behavior recognition, the students successfully identified and tracked 250,000 Silkie chickens, creating a comprehensive database. This intelligent system, operating for over six months, resulted in a 30 percent increase in output, yielding an additional 60,000 chickens.

Feng Yuhong, the Tencent class adviser, emphasised the significance of this achievement, stating, "This achievement not only embraces the centuries-old tradition of free-range farming, but also integrates modern technology. It contributed to the production of high-quality Silkie chickens through the use of cloud technology."

One of the class members, Chen, highlighted the real-time monitoring capabilities of the intelligent breeding system, which provides valuable data to chicken farmers via their mobile phones. Although the system is still being optimised, its ultimate goal is to further support local farmers in enhancing production and increasing their incomes.

Zhang Xiaohong, the vice-president of Shenzhen University, praised the project as a significant advancement in the application of AI in agriculture. He also emphasised the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, allowing students to tackle real industry challenges, deepen their technological understanding, and develop practical skills.

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• Students at Shenzhen University have used AI technology to increase Silkie chicken production by 30 percent.

• The Tencent Cloud Artificial Intelligence Class offered free "AI chicken soup" to celebrate the breakthrough.

• The intelligent breeding system utilises deep learning and computer vision technologies to monitor and track the chickens.

Source: CHINA DAILY