“When the app starts up, you see Elvis the donkey, and the idea is you’re asking a donkey, ‘who’s that donkey over there?'” said Mr Pattison.
The app will then show the donkey’s name and a link to webpage where visitors can learn more about that animal.
And asked if donkeys respond to their name, Mr Pattison said they do.
He said in future the sanctuary hoped to work with scientists from the university to see if AI could also help monitor for health issues in the animals – but that project has not got off the ground yet.
“At the moment we will pick it up (the health issue), but we might not pick it up immediately,” he said. “[The donkeys] don’t give out much, they’re very stoic – so we have to look for subtle clues,” he added.
“The message is that AI isn’t just for big state enterprises.
“If you’ve got an idea, it can help you out – you just need to approach the problem from a different point of view.”