How does the role of AI improve the meat industry?

The meat production and processing sector is undergoing a phase of profound technological transformation, driven both by the need to improve process efficiency and by increasing consumer expectations in terms of quality, food safety and sustainability. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a set of tools with the potential to optimize many of the technologies currently used throughout the entire supply chain, from meat production to processing. The literature reveals applications of AI in monitoring, quality control, forecasting and decision support, suggesting a gradual shift towards data-driven management of the entire value chain. This study was conducted through a systematic literature review according to PRISMA guidelines. The bibliographic search was carried out on two main databases, Scopus and Web of Science, selecting contributions focused on the application of AI techniques. After eliminating duplicates and applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a final corpus of articles representing the state of the art in the field was analyzed. The results show that AI is now a key element in improving established technologies and highlight the untapped potential of AI in making the meat supply chain more efficient and sustainable. Furthermore, future research directions are emerging that are oriented towards data integration, the standardization of intelligent systems and the development of interpretable models that can be applied on a large scale. This study helps to clarify the main evolutionary trajectories and offers a classification of the areas in which AI is generating the greatest potential impact.