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Chinese company Baidu files patent for a system that uses artificial intelligence to translate animal sounds and behaviors into human language, but the technology is still in the research phase.
Animal sounds could be translated using AI. The difficulty of understanding what a dog means when it barks has always been common among pet owners.
Now, scientists in China may be close to changing that. Baidu has filed a patent that proposes using artificial intelligence to decipher animal sounds and convert them into human language.
Patent registered in Beijing
The idea comes from Baidu, an internet giant based in Beijing.
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The company registered the patent in National Intellectual Property Administration of China.
The system uses AI to interpret not only barks and meows, but also signals such as body language, behaviors and other biological data.
The analysis carried out by the system would be able to identify the animal's emotional state and, from there, associate feelings with semantic meanings.
A translation The resulting translation could be made for languages such as Chinese or English. According to the patent document, the goal is to enable “deeper emotional communication” between animals and humans.
Still in research phase
Despite the interest generated by the new development, Baidu itself clarified that the project is still in its initial phase.
A company spokesperson said there had been a lot of buzz about the patent application, but did not give a timeline for launching a product. The patent was submitted in December and only became public on Tuesday.
It is not yet known what the final form of the project will be. It could be an app, a device or something else.
The company has also not confirmed whether it intends to launch the product on the market. For now, everything is still being researched.
Other similar projects already exist
While Baidu’s proposal is eye-catching, it’s not the only initiative of its kind. The Earth Species Project, founded in 2017 with support from LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, also uses AI to decipher animal sounds.
The CETI Project has been trying to understand how sperm whales communicate, through AI and statistical analysis, since 2020.
Danish scientists have also managed to interpret pig grunts, associating the sounds with real emotions, using artificial intelligence. All these initiatives have the same goal: to discover how animals express themselves.
Reception on social media and possible forms
In China, news about Baidu's patent was the subject of discussion on social media platforms such as Weibo. While some users were excited about the possibility of understanding their pets better, others were more skeptical.
One comment went so far as to say that the proposal “looks impressive”, but it would be necessary to see the system’s performance in real applications.
James Bore, a technology expert at consultancy Bores Group, believes Baidu's end product could be an app.
For him, the idea would be something like recording a video of the pet and then the system would deliver a translation based on the analysis.
Skepticism about quality
Baidu's proposal joins several others that promise to translate animal sounds. However, many applications of this type already exist and are poorly evaluated, as they present inaccurate results.
Bore said he hopes the Chinese innovation will be of similar quality, riding the wave of enthusiasm for artificial intelligence.
Still, the project marks another step in the use of technology for interspecies communication. For some, Baidu’s choice makes sense: The company’s logo is a dog’s footprint, which refers to the search capabilities of both the animal and the company itself.
AI is a priority for Baidu
Baidu is one of the major Chinese companies that has invested most in artificial intelligence in recent years.
After launching ChatGPT in 2022, the company has accelerated its investments in the sector. Last month, it launched Ernie 4.5 Turbo, its latest AI model. According to the company, the system matches the best on the market in performance tests.
On the other hand, the chatbot Ernie is still struggling to establish itself. It is competing with strong competitors, such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
The initial launch of the chatbot caused an impact on the market, and even negatively influenced the value of shares in the United States.
The idea of understanding what an animal is feeling or trying to communicate still seems distant, but it is already being tested.
Baidu's project is further proof that artificial intelligence is being used to overcome previously unthinkable barriers — even that of a conversation between humans and their pets.
With information SCMP.
