Talking With Animals… Using AI

Despite our serious concerns about the pace of deployment of
generative artificial intelligence, we are not anti-AI. There are
uses that can help us better understand ourselves and the world
around us. Your Undivided Attention co-host Aza Raskin is
also co-founder of Earth Species Project, a nonprofit dedicated
to using AI to decode non-human communication. ESP is developing
this technology both to shift the way that we relate to the rest
of nature, and to accelerate conservation research.


Significant recent breakthroughs in machine learning have opened
ways to encode both human languages and map out patterns of
animal communication. The research, while slow and incredibly
complex, is very exciting. Picture being able to tell a whale to
dive to avoid ship strikes, or to forge cooperation in
conservation areas. 


These advances come with their own complex ethical issues. But
understanding non-human languages could transform our
relationship with the rest of nature and promote a duty of care
for the natural world.


In a time of such deep division, it’s comforting to know that
hidden underlying languages may potentially unite us. When we
study the patterns of the universe, we’ll see that humanity isn’t
at the center of it.


 


Corrections:


Aza refers to the founding of Earth Species Project (ESP) in
2017. The organization was established in 2018.


When offering examples of self-awareness in animals, Aza mentions
lemurs that get high on centipedes. They actually get high on
millipedes. 


 


RECOMMENDED MEDIA 


Using AI to Listen to All of Earth’s Species


An interactive panel discussion hosted at the World Economic
Forum in San Francisco on October 25, 2022. Featuring ESP
President and Cofounder Aza Raskin; Dr. Karen Bakker, Professor
at UBC and Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow; and Dr. Ari
Friedlaender, Professor at UC Santa Cruz


What A Chatty Monkey May Tell Us About Learning to Talk


The gelada monkey makes a gurgling sound that scientists say is
close to human speech


Lemurs May Be Making Medicine Out of Millipedes


Red-fronted lemurs appear to use plants and other animals to
treat their afflictions


Fathom on AppleTV+


Two biologists set out on an undertaking as colossal as their
subjects – deciphering the complex communication of whales 


Earth Species Project is Hiring a Director of Research


ESP is looking for a thought leader in artificial intelligence
with a track record of managing a team of researchers


 


RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES 


The Three Rules of Humane Tech


The AI Dilemma


Synthetic Humanity: AI & What’s At Stake


 


Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for
Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_