Dough - Series 5: Pets
Summary
Host Greg Foot explores the future of pet ownership with futurist Tracy Follows, veterinary behaviorist Daniel Mills, vet director Samantha Butler-Davies, and researcher Clara Mancini. The episode examines the "paw print economy," discussing AI-driven healthcare, animal-computer interaction, and the ethical complexities of pet cloning. The guests debate whether technology enhances or complicates human-animal bonds, predicting a shift toward preventative care, telehealth, and digital memorialization over physical cloning.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The future of pets and AI
Futurist Tracy Follows on modern pet gadgets
Prof. Daniel Mills on animal cognition and fear
Dr. Samantha Butler-Davies on the pet economy
The rise of the 'paw print economy'
Prof. Clara Mancini on animal-computer interaction
Skepticism toward AI animal translation
AI in veterinary diagnostics and costs
Pet fitness trackers: welfare tool or fad?
Designing tech for animal comfort
The future of telehealth for pets
Exotic pets and the limits of domestication
Robotic pets and pseudo-relationships
The ethics and reality of pet cloning
Predictions: What will rise and fall?
Tracy Follows' 5, 10, and 50-year predictions
Outro and credits
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