Baidu is seeking a patent for AI technology that aims to interpret animal sounds as human language.

The application, submitted in December, was made public by the China National Intellectual Property Administration on May 6, 2025.

The proposed technology analyzes various factors such as animal vocalizations, body language, behavior, and biological signals to assess emotional states.

This information is then translated into human language using AI methods, including machine learning and natural language processing.

If a sound does not match existing emotional data, the application states that manual labeling will be used to update the dataset and improve the model.

However, the publication of the application does not guarantee approval, which may take up to a year, according to legal experts.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ A growing field with decades of research groundwork

Baidu’s patent application builds on nearly three decades of scientific groundwork in animal communication translation.

Researchers like Denise Herzing have been studying dolphin communication since the 1990s, developing wearable devices like CHAT (Cetacean Hearing and Telemetry) that can translate specific dolphin whistles into English words 1.

Similarly, Dr. Con Slobodchikoff has spent over 30 years studying prairie dog communication, creating algorithms that can identify different alarm calls for specific predator types 2.

The Earth Species Project represents the cutting edge of this field, having developed NatureLM-audio, an AI model trained on extensive datasets to analyze animal vocalizations and identify patterns across species 3.

Unlike previous single-species approaches, Baidu’s method appears to aim for broader application across multiple animal types, suggesting an evolution in the field toward more universal translation solutions.

2️⃣ Limitations in “translation” reflect scientific debate about animal language

Baidu’s focus on translating animal “emotions” rather than complex language reflects important scientific distinctions between animal communication and human language.