Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Predicting Embryo and Sperm Characteristics

Abstract

Currently, artificial intelligence (AI) is pervasive in several tasks, applications, and support services. In the medical field, AI already is used for auxiliary image diagnostics and to predict some disease signals. However, little is done in the veterinary field with domestic animals. This chapter intends to introduce the basic concepts of AI (and its specific ramifications as artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms) and a state-of-art of its application with mouse and cattle embryos and/or sperm. Bovine embryo has, by far, been the main issue of AI studies. The development of AI-based software—to automatically evaluate the morphological quality of in vitro-produced bovine embryos—was an early step. Intuitively, the more daring goal should be the predictive application towards the pregnancy success of those embryos. Also, and briefly, we will be commenting on some comparative details of the AI use in human embryos and the prospective application to other species (such as equine embryos).