Can AI help you talk to your pet? China's Baidu wants to turn barks and meows into human language

Economic Times

10-05-2025

The Race to Decode the Animal Kingdom
iStock
Data would be fed into an AI system trained to assess an animal's emotional state.
Still in the Lab, But Wagging Tails of Interest
Other Ears in the Game
Whispers of Doubt Amid Barks of Excitement
The Bark Heard Around the World?
Imagine your dog telling you they're lonely, or your cat expressing disdain not just with a hiss, but in plain English. That sci-fi fantasy could soon become reality thanks to Chinese tech behemoth Baidu , which is aiming to decode the language of animals using artificial intelligence. In a move that sounds straight out of a futuristic novel—or a Pixar movie—the Beijing-based company has filed a patent to translate barks, meows, grunts, and even body language into human speech.Baidu's ambitious project isn't just about sound. The patent, filed with China's National Intellectual Property Administration, outlines a system that collects and processes a spectrum of animal behavior. It includes vocalizations, changes in body language, and biological signals—everything from tail wags to nervous pacing.All of this data would be fed into an AI system trained to assess an animal's emotional state. From there, these feelings would be translated into semantic meaning—potentially giving pets the power to 'talk' in languages like Chinese or English. Baidu promises the system will 'allow deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans,' ushering in a new era of cross-species conversation.Though Baidu has acknowledged the buzz around its patent, the project remains firmly in the research phase. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the filing, stating that the invention has sparked 'a lot of interest,' but there's no product just yet.That hasn't stopped speculation about what the final form could look like. Industry experts like James Bore, from Bores Group consultancy, suggest the tech might land as an app: point your phone at your pet, record their antics, and receive a running translation of what they're 'saying.' Whether it's 'Feed me, now!' or 'Stop calling me a good boy when I'm clearly a great one,' pet owners may soon know exactly what their furry companions are thinking.According to the Daily Mail, Baidu isn't the only group listening in. The Earth Species Project, backed by tech titans like LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, has been trying to crack the code of interspecies communication since 2017. Meanwhile, Project CETI has spent years analyzing the speech-like clicks of sperm whales, and Danish scientists recently managed to interpret pig grunts as emotional expressions using AI.What sets Baidu apart is the scale—and the swagger. As one of China's leading AI developers, Baidu has heavily invested in large language models, including its own 'Ernie 4.5 Turbo,' an ambitious rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT. While the chatbot hasn't dethroned its American counterparts yet, Baidu's bold foray into the animal world signals that the company is thinking beyond human conversation.The announcement has lit up Chinese social media, with curious pet lovers debating the possibility of real-time dog-to-human dialogue. On platforms like Weibo, reactions range from delighted anticipation to eyebrow-raising scepticism.'It sounds impressive, but we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications,' one user posted. Others pointed out that current translation apps for pets are often gimmicky and inaccurate, raising concerns that Baidu's version could ride the AI hype without delivering the goods.Bore echoed the sentiment, saying Baidu's system might initially resemble other 'low-quality' apps already on the market, albeit with a high-tech twist.While some may scoff, the implications of this technology are vast. If successful, Baidu's invention could revolutionize pet care, veterinary diagnostics, wildlife research, and even farming. It could also transform the emotional bond between humans and animals—from assumption to articulation.And perhaps it's no coincidence that Baidu's logo features a dog's paw print. The company known for online searches might now be chasing a new kind of signal—the sound of empathy between species.Whether this will result in meaningful conversation or just more bark than bite remains to be seen. But for now, the world waits with ears perked, tails wagging, and maybe—just maybe—a little hope of hearing their pet say 'I love you,' and knowing it's not just a trick.Would you talk to your pet if you could?