Thanks to artificial intelligence, will we soon be able to talk to animals?

Researchers have been investigating communication patterns in nature for some time. Technologies already make it possible to listen to “conversations” from animals. According to Karen Bakker, a professor at the University of British Columbia, thanks to artificial intelligence, we could even talk to them soon.

Can you actually talk to animals? Many people have probably already asked themselves this question. Scientists have been researching communication patterns in the animal kingdom for years. A breakthrough could happen in the coming years – thanks to artificial intelligence.

Because what we already know is that animals communicate with each other in many different ways. A research team from Germany has already developed small robots that can simulate the dance of bees. As a result, they influenced the communication of the insects and steered them in a specific direction.

Artificial Intelligence: Will we soon be able to talk to animals?

The same is true of elephants. The animals use noises that we humans cannot hear to send messages to their conspecifics over long distances. Depending on the frequency, a situation is communicated as threatening or peaceful. Artificial intelligence (AI) could in turn help us to communicate with animals in the future.

At least that’s the opinion of Karen Bakker, a professor at the University of British Columbia. In her book “The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants” she reports on groundbreaking experiments in communication between and with animals and plants.

communication with animals and plants

“Digital technologies, so often associated with our alienation from nature, offer us the opportunity to powerfully listen to non-human beings and to reconnect with the natural world,” says Bakker.

But not every communication happens according to predetermined patterns. But if we record conversations between animals and feed an algorithm with the data, computers can use AI to recognize certain patterns. From this, at least in theory, possibilities could be developed to communicate with animals.

Artificial intelligence brings benefits and poses risks

Still, there are risks. For example, humans could use the technology to control the behavior of animals. In theory, it would also be possible to lure animals into traps in order to capture or kill them. Researchers are therefore already calling for such dangers to be identified and eliminated as far as possible.

Then the technology could be used to protect nature. Corals communicate with each other, for example, and tell each other which places are suitable for a reef and which should be avoided. If we imitate the language of ecosystems, habitats could be restored and optimally maintained.

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