Latest news with #EarthSpeciesProject
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
What are animals saying? 3 AI tools that could soon tell us their thoughts
Efforts to decode animal communication using artificial intelligence are gaining momentum, with researchers worldwide working on projects that could one day allow humans to communicate directly with other species. From dolphins and whales to elephants and parrots, scientists are using advanced AI tools to uncover the complex ways animals convey meaning through sound. Decoding Dolphin Language with AI At the forefront of this research is Google DeepMind 's project DolphinGemma, which uses a large language model trained on decades of dolphin audio. Developed in collaboration with Georgia Tech and the Wild Dolphin Project, the tool is designed to break down dolphin vocalizations, segment the sounds, and process them similarly to how human languages are analyzed. According to Drew Purves, who leads nature-related AI projects at DeepMind, this approach allows scientists to examine dolphin communication at an unprecedented scale and depth. The goal is to not only understand how dolphins talk to each other but also to possibly recreate similar sounds and communicate back. The idea of interspecies conversation, once a far-off concept, is now being explored with tangible results. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo Earth Species Project: Beyond Dolphins Another major initiative is the Earth Species Project, a nonprofit founded in 2017 that aims to decode the communication systems of non-human species using AI. Their flagship model, NatureLM-audio, is described as the first large-scale audio-language model built specifically for animal sounds. Through this, researchers have uncovered surprising findings—such as the fact that some animals, including elephants and parrots, seem to have individual names for one another. Co-founder Katie Zacarian emphasized that the objective is not domination or control, but rather a shift in how humans relate to the natural world. Instead of exploiting or subduing nature, the goal is to foster understanding and coexistence across species. Project CETI and the Whale Language Challenge Meanwhile, Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) is focused on the vocal patterns of sperm whales. These animals use 'codas'—brief, rapid clicks—in structured sequences, similar to syntax in human language. Using AI to interpret these codas, researchers have found signs of turn-taking in conversations and potentially even distinct dialects. CETI has isolated specific sounds that may act as punctuation marks in whale speech. They hope to have a rudimentary understanding of whale communication by 2026. This work draws parallels to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, as both fields involve decoding unknown languages. In fact, SETI scientists were part of a team that recorded an acoustic exchange with a humpback whale named Twain, which involved back-and-forth calls over a 20-minute period. Limits and Implications of Interspecies Communication While AI has opened new doors, the limits of language go beyond sound. Many species use a combination of visual, chemical, and mechanical signals that humans do not perceive in the same way. For animals like dolphins, which rely on echolocation, sound is also a visual experience. German ecologist Jakob von Uexküll's concept of umwelt—an animal's unique perceptual world—illustrates how challenging true translation might be. This raises philosophical questions: if we could talk to animals, would they still be the same creatures? As theorist Stephen Budiansky once noted, understanding a lion through language might strip away what makes it a lion. Listening to the Living World Even without perfect translation, animals are already communicating their experiences—especially the impacts of human activity. Healthy ecosystems are full of natural sounds, while damaged ones fall silent. Noise pollution, largely from shipping and underwater mining, has steadily increased since the 1960s. Humpback whales, for instance, often stop singing when near commercial vessels, losing a vital tool for migration and mating. Their songs, which evolve over time and span oceans, demonstrate a different understanding of space and time. Speaking whale, then, may not just be about words—it could reshape how we think about our environment and ourselves. The promise of AI-facilitated interspecies communication is not merely a scientific curiosity. It could redefine humanity's place in the natural world, much like the realization that Earth is not the center of the universe. Whether through dolphins, whales, or parrots, these emerging tools may one day allow us to listen—and respond—in ways we never thought possible.
Business Insider
30-06-2025
- Science
- Business Insider
AI is learning how animals talk to each other, and could someday help humans talk to animals
There are scientists out there who are using AI to understand the sounds dolphins make, and it could have some world-changing impacts. "I like to think that we will be able to talk to animals at some point," Drew Purves, the nature lead at Google DeepMind, said on a recent episode of the company's podcast. The AI research lab has already been working on this through DolphinGemma, which it calls a "large language model that uses dolphin audio to help scientists study how dolphins communicate." The project, conducted in collaboration with Georgia Tech researchers and the field research of the Wild Dolphin Project, aims to decode the signals dolphins use to communicate and generate sounds to communicate back. "It takes the sounds, separates them out, tokenizes them, and basically brings it into the world of large language modeling," Purves said. "That's an example of AI actively being used to study animal communication at a level we really couldn't do before." These types of large language models could have a substantial impact on the collective knowledge of the world, Purves said. "Most of what we're doing at the moment, as I mentioned, is filling known information gaps," he said. "Sometimes, you think that the real change can come, in the long run, from these, these moments of awakening, where people almost overnight can change their relationship with nature." Work like this has been underway for years. The Earth Species Project, a nonprofit founded in 2017, uses AI to decode non-human communication. Its flagship model, NatureLM-audio, is "the world's first large audio-language model for animal sounds" and aims to help researchers detect and classify species and even recognize the sounds of new species, according to its website. One of the things the nonprofit has already learned in its research is that many species of animals — elephants, gray parrots, marmosets — all have names for each other, Katie Zacarian, the cofounder and CEO of the Earth Species Project, said at the Axios AI+ SF Summit last year. The vision is to use its technology to "reconnect human beings with the rest of nature in a way that all the diversity of species can thrive and not just accelerate and exacerbate the existing challenges that we're faced with where we're extracting, we're taming, we're exploiting the rest of nature — that's not the goal here," Zacarian said. And when it's all said and done, humans may no longer be at the top of the animal kingdom. "We looked out at the universe and discovered that Earth was not the center," Aza Raskin, cofounder and president of the Earth Species Project, told Scientific American. "These tools are going to change the way that we see ourselves in relation to everything."
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chinese Tech Giant Wants to Translate Your Cat's Meows Using AI
Chinese tech company Baidu is working on an artificial intelligence-based translation system that could finally decode the greatest language mystery in the world: your cat's meows. As Reuters reports, the company filed a patent with the China National Intellectual Property Administration proposing an AI-powered system to translate animal sounds. But whether it'll ultimately be successful in deciphering your dog's barks or your cat's meows remains to be seen. Despite years of research, scientists are still far from deciphering animal communication. Baidu is hoping that the system could bring humans and their pets closer together. According to the company's patent document, it could allow for a "deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of interspecies communication." A spokesperson told Reuters that the system is "still in the research phase," suggesting there's still significant work to be done. But Baidu has already made considerable headway. The company, which also runs the country's largest search engine, has invested in AI for years, releasing its latest AI model last month. Baidu is only one of many companies working to decode animal communication using AI. For instance, California-based nonprofit Earth Species Project has been attempting to build an AI-based system that can translate birdsong, the whistles of dolphins, and the rumblings of elephants. A separate nonprofit called NatureLM recently announced that it secured $17 million in grants to create language models that can identify the ways animals communicate with each other. Researchers have also attempted to use machine learning to understand the vocalizations of crows and monkeys. While a direct animal translation tool is more than likely still many years out, some scientists have claimed early successes. Last year, a team of scientists from SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) claimed to have "conversed" with a humpback whale in Alaska. "The things we learn from communicating with whales could help us when it comes time to connect with aliens," SETI researcher and University of California Davis animal behavioralist Josie Hubbard told the New York Post at the time. More on AI translation: World's Largest Call Center Deploys AI to "Neutralize the Accent" of Indian Employees
Economic Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Can AI help you talk to your pet? China's Baidu wants to turn barks and meows into human language
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 echoed the sentiment, saying Baidu's system might initially resemble other 'low-quality' apps already on the market, albeit with a high-tech 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 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 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 you talk to your pet if you could?
India Today
09-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
Baidu in China working on AI that will let humans understand animals
Have you ever wondered what your cat or dog is trying to say? Sounds ambitious, right? Well, Baidu is now working on something that might help with this. For those who don't know, Baidu is a Chinese tech company founded in 2000, and is known for running the country's biggest search engine. It wants to use AI to understand what animals are feeling or trying to say. The company recently filed a patent with the China National Intellectual Property Administration that describes a special system that could change animal sounds into human language. This system would use a mix of animal sounds, behaviour, and body signals to guess the animal's emotions and then turn those emotions into words we can to Baidu's patent, the system will first collect sounds made by animals, such as meows, barks or other vocalisations. It will also look at their behaviour, like how they move or act, along with body data like heart rate. All of this information will be processed together using AI to figure out what the animal might be feeling — like happiness, fear or hunger. Then, the system — in theory — would match these feelings with words or phrases in human language. This could allow people to talk with their pets in a whole new said in the patent that the system would allow 'deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication.' When asked about when this product might be ready, a Baidu spokesperson said, 'There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application. Currently, it is still in the research phase.'advertisementBaidu is not the only one working on this idea. Around the world, other scientists are also trying to use AI to study how animals communicate. For example, Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) is studying how sperm whales talk to each other using sounds. Another group called the Earth Species Project is also working to decode animal communication using technology. That project is supported by big names, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid news of Baidu's new animal translation patent came out, many folks on Chinese social media started talking. Some were excited, while others weren't so sure about the whole idea. A Weibo user wrote, 'While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications.'
