Will better understanding mean better welfare?
This could have profound implications for the future of animal welfare - and the way we live our lives. Machine learning is already being used to analyse behaviour on farms and in the wild to understand the welfare of farmed animals or to track and protect endangered species.
As in all areas of AI, the science is moving fast. Researchers have used it to uncover that sperm whales in the east Caribbean use a 143-click phonetic alphabet, which they describe as the closest system to human language yet discovered. The next step is to decode the meaning. AI is being used to understand cats, bats and pigs; there’s even a prize on offer to the team that cracks two-way communication first.
This could have profound implications for the future of animal welfare - and the way we live our lives. Machine learning is already being used to analyse behaviour on farms and in the wild to understand the welfare of farmed animals or to track and protect endangered species.
RSPCA polling* reveals 56% would like to be able to talk to animals, with dogs being the animal most people would like to chat to, but nearly a third (28%) said they did not want to. Being being able to talk to animals, to understand what it is they feel and think, could be revolutionary for animal welfare. Our Animal Futures Project, which explores five potential futures for animals, includes one scenario where there is a major breakthrough in AI which allows us to converse with the animals around us. In this optimistic future, this transforms the way we see and treat animals, driving a national debate on animal rights, using animal testimony in court and causing the majority of people to adopt vegan lifestyles.
Will they want to talk to us?
The truth is likely to be more complex than this. Firstly, the reality is that animals are different to us - and to each other. Professor Daniel Mills, an expert in veterinary behavioural medicine at the University of Lincoln, has used AI can interpret the facial expressions of cats. Speaking on the RSPCA Animal Futures Podcast, he said that the simple truth may be that animals like our pet cats may not be interested in what we have to say, but it could one day be possible with some species with more complex communication, such as elephants and whales.
Dr Sam Gaines, RSPCA Head of Companion Animals, agreed: “We have to recognise that dogs and cats are very different species to us and one another so there is probably never going to be a situation where we could have a conversation with them in the same way we do. In particular, dogs are in a world of smell, we are in a world of vision and verbal communication, so it’s very different. But there’s a bit of me that is excited that, if it were possible, we might actually have a better understanding of what’s going on in their minds.
“It has really good potential for allowing our pets to live really fulfilled lives and allowing them to thrive with us. They could potentially then tell us what they really like and what they don’t.”
Our understanding of animal behaviour is growing every day, but we still see animals mistreated, or misused, or leading lives they simply don’t enjoy.
Are we ready for what they have to say?
It may be optimistic to think that, even if we can one day talk to animals, whether that alone would change our behaviour towards them. Our understanding of animal behaviour and welfare needs has advanced rapidly in recent decades - we know what animals need to live happy and fulfilled lives. However, we’ve commoditised animals to such an extent that we have become more and more disconnected from them.
We know that extreme breeding of pets, such as flat-faced features, cause suffering and distress, but they remain popular breeds due to their so-called ‘cute’ looks. We know that rats are intelligent creatures who can solve problems, giggle when tickled and form deep bonds with humans, but still we use 150,000 a year in experiments. We know that chickens are complex, sociable creatures and what they need to be happy, but we still breed more than a billion each year who grow so fast they struggle to stand or who spend their life in a cage the size of an A4 sheet of paper. We turn a blind eye to this suffering - would AI communication really change this?
Sam continued: “Our understanding of animal behaviour is growing every day, but we still see animals mistreated, or misused, or leading lives they simply don’t enjoy.
“For example, dogs are very good at communicating how they feel to us but we aren’t good at reading those signals and we’ve made it even harder with the way they have been bred. I think there is a place for AI in this but I would have concerns over accuracy. We have to make sure that what's going in is good quality so what comes out is good quality, meaningful and valid information for owners. And we have to listen to and act based on what our animals are telling us.”
There is the possibility that AI communication would tell us things we weren’t ready to hear and it could impact on the way we live our lives - from the pets we keep, the food we eat, and the laws that govern our treatment of animals. Two-way conversation could be a game changer - for animals and us - as long as we’re ready to listen to what they have to say.