Baidu Looks to Patent AI System to Decipher Animal Sounds

Ever wished you would perceive what your cat is making an attempt to inform you? A Chinese language tech firm is exploring whether or not it is doable to translate these mysterious meows into human language utilizing artificial intelligence.

Baidu, proprietor of China’s largest search engine, has filed a patent with China Nationwide Mental Property Administration proposing a system to transform animal vocalisations into human language, in accordance with a patent doc printed this week.

Scientists have lengthy tried to decode animal communication, and Baidu’s patent represents the most recent effort to leverage AI to take action.

The doc says the system will accumulate animal knowledge, together with vocal sounds, behavioural patterns, and physiological indicators, which shall be preprocessed and merged earlier than an AI-powered evaluation 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 might enable “deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and people, enhancing the accuracy and effectivity of cross-species communication,” Baidu mentioned within the patent doc.

“There was lots of curiosity within the submitting of our patent software,” a Baidu spokesperson mentioned when requested how quickly the corporate might flip the patent right into a product. “Presently, it’s nonetheless within the analysis section.”

Baidu was among the many first main Chinese language firms to speculate closely in AI following the 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

It unveiled its newest AI mannequin, Ernie 4.5 Turbo, final month, saying it matched the trade’s finest in a number of benchmark exams. Nevertheless, the Ernie chatbot has struggled to achieve traction amid fierce competitors.

Various efforts are underway exterior China to try to interpret what animals need to convey.

Worldwide researchers at Challenge CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been utilizing statistical evaluation and AI since 2020 to know how sperm whales talk, whereas the Earth Species Challenge, a non-profit based in 2017 whose backers embody LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, can be making an attempt to make use of AI to decode animal communication.

Native media stories about Baidu’s patent software sparked dialogue on Chinese language social media platforms late on Wednesday.

Whereas some have been enthusiastic about the opportunity of ultimately being higher in a position to perceive their pets, others have been sceptical.

“Whereas it sounds spectacular, we’ll have to see the way it performs in real-world functions,” commented a person on Weibo.

© Thomson Reuters 2025