Thanks to artificial intelligence, robots like Siri and Alexa have gained the ability to give instructions to animals by barking. It is thought that this technology could allow us to unravel some of the mysteries of natural life and perhaps one day “talk” to animals. Studies are carried out on animal communication using artificial intelligence and some developments are being recorded. Perhaps chatting with your dog or gossiping with your tortoise may seem like a dream. But this technology can help us understand how other species interact.
Communication between animals consists of verbal and nonverbal signs, such as human language. However, there are differences between human language and animal communication. For example, dogs can convey various emotions by wagging their tails. Bees dance to inform other bees about a good source of nectar or pollen. Dolphins use clicks and whistles to convey information.
However, it is also stated that the language of animals is not completely similar to human language. Studies with artificial intelligence technologies have revealed that the symbols and structures used in the communication of animals have similarities with the structures in human language. However, whether they can be fully considered a language is a controversial issue and needs more research.
Statements of Scientists on the Subject
Dr. Herzing states that artificial intelligence technology is a tool that can be used in studies in the field of animal communication. Artificial intelligence can help learn and understand the symbols and structures that animals use to communicate. In this way, we can better understand how animals communicate with each other and perhaps develop better conservation strategies. Dr. “There are many different techniques and methods for approaching science,” Herzing said in an interview with IFLScience, adding that “these approaches will differ depending on the data, artificial intelligence techniques, and even the understanding of the animals themselves.”
In a paper published by the Financial Times, Professor Karen Bakker, an academic at the University of British Columbia, believes that artificial intelligence learning models will enable us to understand the language of animals. Bakker says it’s possible for the planet to “rest” thanks to advancing technology, and it’s possible in the near future where animals won’t even need a Google Translate. Bakker states that in addition to the optical revolution that comes with microscopes, a sonic revolution in which we listen to nature is also near.
The nonprofit Earth Species Project is an organization “dedicated to deciphering nonhuman languages.” So far they have studied marine mammals and primates, but they say they will eventually spread to other animals, including crows.
This development could allow for a better understanding of the natural world and improved communication between humans and animals. In particular, the use of artificial intelligence technology can be of great benefit, such as monitoring the health status of animals, understanding their behavior and increasing their chances of survival in natural disasters. According to Professor Bakker, it will be possible to decipher the language of animals thanks to artificial intelligence technology, and this can further the relationship between humans and the natural world.
What Has Been Achieved So Far?
Currently, many projects are trying to unravel the mysteries of animal communication using artificial intelligence technology. One of these projects, the Earth Species Project, claims in a recent article that they have solved the “cocktail party problem”, which aims to determine which sound belongs to a noise environment consisting of more than one sound.
At a cocktail party, amid the background noise and chatter, it’s hard to determine which person would like another espresso martini. In this study, the researchers explain that by experimenting with animal species such as macaques, bottlenose dolphins, and Egyptian fruit bats, they developed an algorithm that allows them to precisely determine which individual is “talking” in a noisy group of animals.
Artificial intelligence is also used as a valuable tool in different fields of zoology. Dr. Elizabeth Briefer told IFLScience that artificial intelligence is playing a key role in a relatively new field called “echoacoustics,” which is used specifically to track biodiversity through passive acoustic monitoring and requires large datasets.
Briefer also noted that humans have also used artificial intelligence to extract information from long-term records (such as identifying marine mammals from underwater records) and more recently to identify patterns to identify emotions in other contexts such as pigs and chickens. Briefer and his colleagues trained an AI system to recognize positive or negative emotions in pigs’ grunts and squeaks. This study shows that artificial intelligence can be used as a valuable tool to learn more about animal behavior and emotions.
In rodents, a software called DeepSqueak is used to determine if animals are under stress using ultrasonic sounds. These sounds are imperceptible to the human ear, but are a method rodents use to communicate socially with each other. The same software has been used with primates and dolphins to help researchers automatically tag audio recordings of animals. This technology is a valuable tool to learn more about the stress levels of animals and to conduct research more effectively.
Briefer also noted that humans have also used artificial intelligence to extract information from long-term records (such as identifying marine mammals from underwater records) and more recently to identify patterns to identify emotions in other contexts such as pigs and chickens. Briefer and his colleagues trained an AI system to recognize positive or negative emotions in pigs’ grunts and squeaks. This study shows that artificial intelligence can be used as a valuable tool to learn more about animal behavior and emotions.
In rodents, a software called DeepSqueak is used to determine if animals are under stress using ultrasonic sounds. These sounds are imperceptible to the human ear, but are a method rodents use to communicate socially with each other. The same software has been used with primates and dolphins to help researchers automatically tag audio recordings of animals. This technology is a valuable tool to learn more about the stress levels of animals and to conduct research more effectively.
Briefer also noted that humans have also used artificial intelligence to extract information from long-term records (such as identifying marine mammals from underwater records) and more recently to identify patterns to identify emotions in other contexts such as pigs and chickens. Briefer and his colleagues trained an AI system to recognize positive or negative emotions in pigs’ grunts and squeaks. This study shows that artificial intelligence can be used as a valuable tool to learn more about animal behavior and emotions.
In rodents, a software called DeepSqueak is used to determine if animals are under stress using ultrasonic sounds. These sounds are imperceptible to the human ear, but are a method rodents use to communicate socially with each other. The same software has been used with primates and dolphins to help researchers automatically tag audio recordings of animals. This technology is a valuable tool to learn more about the stress levels of animals and to conduct research more effectively.
