Insect farming is a growing industry, and one company, Full Circle Biotechnology, is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help lower costs and increase efficiency. Based in Bangkok, Full Circle farms black soldier fly larvae to produce animal feed for shrimp and pig farms. The larvae are fed fruit and vegetable waste and are harvested and combined with probiotic bacteria and mushrooms to create a nutritious feed.
The company's founder, Felix Collins, claims that the insect-based feed has a carbon footprint that is 100 times lower than soybean-based feed, which is the dominant player in the market. Additionally, the feed contains up to 70% protein, compared to soybean-based feed which has less than 50% protein.
Despite the environmental and nutritional benefits, Full Circle faces a significant hurdle - soybean-based feed is currently substantially cheaper. To address this, the company is turning to AI to help maximize production at a lower cost. By training an AI system to study past and present data on insect farming, Full Circle hopes to determine the best methods for optimizing production.
The AI system will analyze data on temperature, food quantity, space requirements, and other factors to determine the optimal conditions for insect farming. This will help the company overcome obstacles and develop a thorough understanding of insect production, allowing them to optimize their processes and reduce costs.
Full Circle is not the only company using AI in insect farming. Cogastro, a Lithuanian company, is also developing an AI-based system to help insect farmers optimize their production. However, Cogastro's founder, Mante Sidlauskaite, is wary of companies that claim to have AI systems readily available, stating that it takes time to develop a layer of software and train an AI model.
Full Circle is developing its AI system with a Singapore-based expert in the field, Simon Christofides. The company believes that AI can help them glean insights that no human could ever achieve, by using multiple sensors and crunching millions of data points. However, Collins also acknowledges that sometimes you just need to leave the flies to get on with things on their own, such as during the breeding process.
Overall, the use of AI in insect farming has the potential to revolutionize the industry, allowing companies like Full Circle to produce high-quality feed at a lower cost. As the demand for sustainable and environmentally-friendly feed options continues to grow, the use of AI in insect farming is likely to become increasingly important.
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