Baidu's AI Ambition: Decoding Animal Communication

Baidu developing AI-driven animal to human translator - Dr Doolittle plans revealed in patent application

Machine learning algorithms will consider animal 'voice, body language,' and other signs. Animal owners seeking a deeper understanding of their beloved Fido or Tiddles have new hope after a recently filed patent from Chinese search giant Baidu was unearthed by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The Hong Kong-based organ reports that Baidu's patent seeks to translate animal communications leveraging machine and deep learning with a mix of inputs including "voice, body language, behavioral changes and other biological signs." However, this isn't quite Dr Doolittle 'talk to the animals' territory. From our understanding of the details shared regarding Baidu's patent, it will rely on a multitude of inputs to deliver a human language rendering of an animal's current emotion. So, you aren't going to be using this AI tool for anything much more than recognizing whether your pet is hungry, or has some other pressing need. You weren't expecting to chat with your Burmese feline about geopolitics, were you? It will be interesting to see any eventual applications based upon Baidu's work. We'd expect to be able to enjoy a wider gamut of 'conversation' with one of the intelligent dog breeds than a feline, caged bird, or fish friend. Of course, the machine learning will have to be rejigged for each species. Previous and current smart device apps with touted 'animal translation' ability are said to be quite a popular phenomenon. The SCMP notes that a Japanese dog translation device (not app) was crowned one of the 'best inventions of 2002' by Time Magazine. However, some more recent and more sophisticated attempts at animal translators have fallen by the wayside. A quick look on my Android mobile for animal translation apps reveals that there are a multitude of these 'quack' apps (pun intended) currently available. Several of these apps, usually targeting either dogs or cats, have enjoyed tens of millions of downloads. However, they are almost universally badly rated (no surprise). If someone got this right, even with a little accuracy, we are sure the app(s) would be very lucrative.

China's Baidu looks to patent AI system to decipher animal sounds

BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - Ever wished you could understand what your cat is trying to tell you? A Chinese tech company is exploring whether it's possible to translate those mysterious meows into human language using artificial intelligence. Baidu (9888.HK), opens new tab, owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, according to a patent document published this week. Scientists have long attempted to decode animal communication, and Baidu's patent represents the latest effort to leverage AI to do so. The document says the system will collect animal data, including vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological signals, which will be preprocessed and merged before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state. The emotional states would then be mapped to semantic meanings and translated into human language. The system could allow "deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication," Baidu said in the patent document. "There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application," a Baidu spokesperson said when asked how soon the company could turn the patent into a product. "Currently, it is still in the research phase." Baidu was among the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT. It unveiled its latest AI model, Ernie 4.5 Turbo, last month, saying it matched the industry's best in several benchmark tests. However, the Ernie chatbot has struggled to gain traction amid fierce competition. A number of efforts are underway outside China to try and interpret what animals want to convey. International researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been using statistical analysis and AI since 2020 to understand how sperm whales communicate, while the Earth Species Project, a non-profit founded in 2017 whose backers include LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, is also trying to use AI to decode animal communication. Local media reports about Baidu's patent application sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms late on Wednesday. While some were excited about the possibility of eventually being better able to understand their pets, others were sceptical. "While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented a user on Weibo. Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda Goh; Editing by Kate Mayberry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Artificial Intelligence Brenda Goh Thomson Reuters Brenda Goh is Reuters' Shanghai bureau chief and oversees coverage of corporates in China. Brenda joined Reuters as a trainee in London in 2010 and has reported stories from over a dozen countries.

China: Baidu's new tech could turn your cat's meows into human speech

Ever imagined your cat speaking what she wants or needs? It'd make your lives so much easier. China's tech giant Baidu is apparently working on developing an AI system that allows humans to decipher the meaning behind a cat's meows. Owner of China's largest search engine, Baidu has filed a patent with the China National Intellectual Property Administration regarding this AI system. According to the patent document published this week, this system aims at converting animal vocalizations into human language.

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.

AI could soon speak dog and cat

Imagine what it would be like to know exactly what your dog was saying when it barked, or your cat when it miaowed, or your iguana when it ... made whatever sound an iguana makes (do they even make one?). There have been various attempts to develop systems that enable pets to communicate -- a notable example is where dogs press programmable sound buttons, with each one representing a word or phrase, to "talk" and express needs, emotions, or observations -- but none are quite so exciting as the one proposed by Chinese tech giant Baidu in a patent filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration. Recommended Videos The patent describes a system that gathers animal data such as vocal sounds, behavior, and physiological signals, Sky News reported this week. The collected information would be processed and then merged for AI analysis, creating a technology capable of interpreting whatever sounds the animal makes. But don't expect that you're going to start having conversations with Fido about the weather, or that your cat will start making judgmental remarks about your Netflix choices. For a start, there's no mention of creating an AI that can speak back to animals, and the main information you're likely to get is something about your pet's emotional state. In the patent, Baidu says the system would improve "the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication," though a spokesperson for the company cautioned that its technology is "still in the research stage." There has already been some high-profile research into trying to find ways to accurately translate animal noises, particularly those of dogs. An ongoing study by UC San Diego's Comparative Cognition Lab, for example, has been looking at how the previously mentioned soundboards can be used to help dogs express themselves. Some dogs have even shown that they can combine multiple words to form simple requests like "outside play" or "food now." But critics argue that there may be too many assumptions about the dogs' ability to fully understand the words, suggesting that they could just be pressing the buttons because they've learned to do so in response to certain cues, like the button's sound. With AI tech advancing so rapidly, let's hope Baidu is onto something here.

Could AI translate animal sounds into words? Tech experts hope so

The proposed system hopes to use AI to recognise a pet's emotional state and then translate it into language. A Chinese tech company has revealed it is exploring whether it is possible to use AI to translate animal sounds into human language. Baidu, the owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The plans were revealed in a patent document published this week. The patent is for a system that collects animal data like vocal sounds, behaviour and physiological signals. It would then be processed and merged, before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state. Those emotional states could then be translated into human language and could improve "the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication", according to Baidu in the document. The translator is "still in the research stage", according to a Baidu spokesperson who said there had been a "lot of interest in the filing". Although animal translation has long fascinated humans, technological advances have made it seem more possible recently. Videos on social media frequently go viral of dogs appearing to use buttons on hexagonal mats, known as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) boards, to communicate with their owners. Read more from Sky News: 'Vaccine misinformation will lead to more deaths' Donald Trump denies posting image of himself as pope Some GCSE results to be released digitally Whether these dogs are actually communicating is the subject of much discussion and scientists at UC San Diego are running a study on 2,000 dogs to try and settle the debate. Baidu's new technique of leveraging AI could offer a new option to understand pets, but some on Chinese social media remain unconvinced. "While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented one user on Weibo.

Baidu Looks to Patent AI System to Decipher Animal Sounds

Companies outside China are also working on similar technologies Ever wished you could understand what your cat is trying to tell you? A Chinese tech company is exploring whether it's possible to translate those mysterious meows into human language using artificial intelligence. Baidu, owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, according to a patent document published this week. Scientists have long attempted to decode animal communication, and Baidu's patent represents the latest effort to leverage AI to do so. The document says the system will collect animal data, including vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological signals, which will be preprocessed and merged before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state. The emotional states would then be mapped to semantic meanings and translated into human language. The system could allow "deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication," Baidu said in the patent document. "There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application," a Baidu spokesperson said when asked how soon the company could turn the patent into a product. "Currently, it is still in the research phase." Baidu was among the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT. It unveiled its latest AI model, Ernie 4.5 Turbo, last month, saying it matched the industry's best in several benchmark tests. However, the Ernie chatbot has struggled to gain traction amid fierce competition. A number of efforts are underway outside China to try and interpret what animals want to convey. International researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been using statistical analysis and AI since 2020 to understand how sperm whales communicate, while the Earth Species Project, a non-profit founded in 2017 whose backers include LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, is also trying to use AI to decode animal communication. Local media reports about Baidu's patent application sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms late on Wednesday. While some were excited about the possibility of eventually being better able to understand their pets, others were sceptical. "While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented a user on Weibo.

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

Chinese tech giant Baidu is developing an AI system to translate animal sounds and behaviors into human language, aiming to enable real conversations between pets and people. Still in the research phase, the project analyzes vocalizations, body language, and emotional states. If successful, it could revolutionize how we understand and communicate with animals, bridging the species divide.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?

China's Baidu looks to patent AI system to decipher animal sounds

BEIJING (Reuters) -Ever wished you could understand what your cat is trying to tell you? A Chinese tech company is exploring whether it's possible to translate those mysterious meows into human language using artificial intelligence. Baidu, owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, according to a patent document published this week. Scientists have long attempted to decode animal communication, and Baidu's patent represents the latest effort to leverage AI to do so. The document says the system will collect animal data, including vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological signals, which will be preprocessed and merged before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state. The emotional states would then be mapped to semantic meanings and translated into human language. The system could allow "deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication," Baidu said in the patent document. "There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application," a Baidu spokesperson said when asked how soon the company could turn the patent into a product. "Currently, it is still in the research phase." Baidu was among the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI's ChatGPT. It unveiled its latest AI model, Ernie 4.5 Turbo, last month, saying it matched the industry's best in several benchmark tests. However, the Ernie chatbot has struggled to gain traction amid fierce competition. A number of efforts are underway outside China to try and interpret what animals want to convey. International researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been using statistical analysis and AI since 2020 to understand how sperm whales communicate, while the Earth Species Project, a non-profit founded in 2017 whose backers include LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, is also trying to use AI to decode animal communication. Local media reports about Baidu's patent application sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms late on Wednesday. While some were excited about the possibility of eventually being better able to understand their pets, others were sceptical. "While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented a user on Weibo. (Reporting by Liam Mo and Brenda Goh; Editing by Kate Mayberry)