Co-Organizing CIFAR Discovery Workshop on Digital Livestock Intelligence

Suresh Neethirajan co-organized a CIFAR Arrell Future of Food Initiative Discovery Workshop in Calgary, March 2-4, 2026, on digital livestock intelligence, bringing together international experts to explore how AI-driven digital twins can improve animal welfare, food security, and climate-smart livestock systems.

The workshop, “Digital Livestock Intelligence: AI-Driven Digital Twins for Planetary Food Security and Animal Consciousness,” took place March 2-4, 2026, in Calgary, Alberta. Selected by CIFAR as one of seven interdisciplinary Discovery Workshop teams, the group explored how animal-centric, data-driven digital twins can improve livestock health and welfare, reduce environmental impact, and support more resilient global food systems. The workshop moved beyond sensors and dashboards to examine what happens when AI systems begin making recommendations about living biological systems. Discussions focused on trust, data ownership, cybersecurity, confidentiality of farm data, responsible AI governance, and the nature of animal consciousness. On Day 1, participants visited Bertens Holsteins Ltd., an approximately 850-cow dairy operation near Calgary with a large rotary milking system, grounding the discussion in real commercial farm complexity. Day 2 focused on the shift from observation to intervention intelligence, with working groups considering how digital livestock systems can connect animal health, farmer decision-making, and climate accountability into an integrated framework.

https://cifar.ca/cifar-arrell-future-food-initiative/

https://www.dal.ca/news/2026/03/2/digital-livestock-ai-food-future.html