Beijing, China: Most people, especially those who pet animals might wish to translate their mysterious sounds and decipher what they are trying to convey. It is proven that animals use various signals, though they do not have proper communication systems or grammatical structures.

Baidu (9888.HK), a Chinese tech company, is all set to explore these animal combinations by translating them into human language using Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the help of innovative tools, it is expected that a person can decipher what his pets, for instance, a cat, is communicating with those mysterious ‘meows’.

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For decades, researchers have tried to decode animal sounds to understand their communication using signals. Baidu, which filed a patent with China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) proposing a system to convert animal vocalisations into human language, represents the scientists’ latest attempt to explore it by leveraging AI.

As per the patent document published recently, the proposed system will collect animal data, including vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological signals. The data will be then preprocessed and merged before an AI-powered analysis. The AI powered tool is designed to recognise the animal’s emotions.

The emotional state recognised by the AI will be then converted to semantic meanings and hence translated into human language. Thus, the system could pave the way for deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication, according to the tech company. The project is currently in the research phase.

Following the language model transformation through open AI’s ChatGPT, Baidu was among the first major Chinese companies to invest heavily in AI, becoming a notable company for innovative projects.

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There are several other efforts across the world attempting to 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.

Since 2017, the Earth Species Project is also trying to use AI to decode animal communication. Given the widespread efforts, which are still in the process, many are not optimistic about China’s tech company’s venture.