Jul 1, 2024 05:26 PM
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/talking-to-animals-ai
EXCERPTS: Speaking to BBC Science Focus during the Cheltenham Science Festival, French [...] said we could train artificial intelligence (AI) to understand animal communication better than we can, using thousands of available data points and hours of footage of animal interactions.
[...] “It will give us a view of that interaction that we would never be able to appreciate just with our own [senses],” French said. “It’s going to capture all of this information that, even if we were trained really well, we’re just not equipped to understand. ... I can’t wait to see what the veterinary practice of 2050 looks like. It’s going to be a really different place.”
There is precedence for animal communication. Already, we know that creatures like whales, bats, parrots and, recently, elephants have names for things – like each other or their families.
But AI could be the missing step between them ‘talking’ and us being able to understand. Some of the problems with humans deciphering their messages include establishing what is just background noise, plus separating the sounds made by different individuals. That's where AI comes in.
[...] Because we co-evolved with dogs we already know a lot about how they communicate. But French suggested that AI-enabled communication could help us also understand prey animals like rabbits. “Rabbits are really good at hiding the way they’re feeling because they don’t want predators to know they’re injured. So being able to understand in different ways what’s going on with them might be useful.”
Similarly, AI could help us learn the ‘language’ of species with which we haven’t had a domestic relationship for as long – like snakes or fish... (MORE - missing details & links)
EXCERPTS: Speaking to BBC Science Focus during the Cheltenham Science Festival, French [...] said we could train artificial intelligence (AI) to understand animal communication better than we can, using thousands of available data points and hours of footage of animal interactions.
[...] “It will give us a view of that interaction that we would never be able to appreciate just with our own [senses],” French said. “It’s going to capture all of this information that, even if we were trained really well, we’re just not equipped to understand. ... I can’t wait to see what the veterinary practice of 2050 looks like. It’s going to be a really different place.”
There is precedence for animal communication. Already, we know that creatures like whales, bats, parrots and, recently, elephants have names for things – like each other or their families.
But AI could be the missing step between them ‘talking’ and us being able to understand. Some of the problems with humans deciphering their messages include establishing what is just background noise, plus separating the sounds made by different individuals. That's where AI comes in.
[...] Because we co-evolved with dogs we already know a lot about how they communicate. But French suggested that AI-enabled communication could help us also understand prey animals like rabbits. “Rabbits are really good at hiding the way they’re feeling because they don’t want predators to know they’re injured. So being able to understand in different ways what’s going on with them might be useful.”
Similarly, AI could help us learn the ‘language’ of species with which we haven’t had a domestic relationship for as long – like snakes or fish... (MORE - missing details & links)