Can AI Give a Voice to the Voiceless? The Future of Animal Rights
Imagine you understanding and talking to the animals
Let me tell you the story of a magnificent killer whale named Tahlequah. Whales, the largest mammals on Earth, carry their babies for 18 months. After this long gestation period, Tahlequah gave birth, only to lose her baby after just 30 minutes of life. In a remarkable display of grief, she carried her deceased calf for 17 days, traveling over 1,000 miles through the Salish Sea in the Pacific Ocean. When Tahlequah grew too tired, members of her pod would help carry the calf, only for her to resume once she had regained her strength. Just imagine if we could understand the sorrowful song she might have been singing or the profound kinship of her pod. Such an understanding would elevate our appreciation for these creatures and bridge the gap between humans and other living beings. After all, language is the most powerful product of evolution that made us who we are.
Scientists are now working on AI-assisted tools that could help us understand animal language. By recording animals’ vocalizations and observing their behaviors in context, researchers are beginning to decode the meaning behind their sounds. AI is already being used to filter out background noise from these recordings, allowing scientists to focus on the animals’ actual communications.
With centuries of data collection and deep understanding, researchers are uncovering some of the most fascinating mysteries of the animal kingdom — particularly in how animals communicate. Elephants, for instance, use specific vocalizations to call each other by name. Dolphins greet one another with unique whistles, and humpback whales compose complex songs that evolve, potentially to attract mates or assert dominance. Songbirds and parrots mimic melodies with a sophistication akin to human language. At the same time, chimpanzees and bonobos express themselves through a rich combination of vocal sounds, gestures, and facial expressions.
In the insect world, honeybees perform intricate “waggle dances” to convey the location of food. At the same time, wolves use haunting howls to communicate across vast distances. Crows and ravens, known for their tool use and problem-solving abilities, relay complex information about their environment. Even beneath the waves, orcas maintain social bonds through distinct pod dialects, each unique to their group.
These remarkable discoveries have paved the way for AI to decode animal languages. Supervised machine learning enables AI to recognize patterns in animal communications based on the data collected by researchers. But human understanding has limits, and we still don’t know much. This is where self-supervised learning comes into play. By feeding AI systems vast amounts of animal sounds without explicit labels, AI can independently find patterns and relationships, potentially uncovering new insights into the languages of the animal world. This method, similar to the algorithms behind tools like ChatGPT, pushes the boundaries of what AI can achieve in understanding animal communication.
If AI can learn to understand animal languages, it could give animals a powerful voice in the animal rights movement. As revealed through their sounds, we could gain insight into what racing horses might experience. We might learn that a cat or dog crying constantly isn’t a bad omen but rather a sign of physical pain or grief over a lost companion, home, or child. AI could dispel speculation by offering a clearer understanding of their language. These AI tools could dismantle the perceived difference between humans and animals — often rooted in the belief that animals aren’t as sentient as humans.
Consider for a moment the common practice of boiling crabs or lobsters alive. Some people relish the experience of eating these creatures freshly boiled right in front of them. But imagine if these crustaceans had a voice — if you could hear them screaming in their language, expressing their desire to live and their unimaginable pain. Would you still eat them? The idea that these animals might be pleading for their lives adds a new dimension to how we perceive and treat them.
Or think about the pilgrims who journey to the higher Himalayan mountains to pay respect to their deities. Many of them choose to ride overworked, exhausted, and tired mules to reach their sacred destinations. Imagine if these pilgrims could understand the language of pain these animals speak. Would they still ride them if they could hear the mules’ cries of fatigue and distress? Suppose they could comprehend the suffering etched in every step these animals take. Would they choose to continue their journey this way?
I recall a story from my childhood when my aunt had cattle. She noticed that if a cow’s calf wasn’t fed its mother’s milk before milking. The cow would withhold some milk, seemingly saving it for her calf. My uncle might think the cow was done, but the calf would later come and drink the remaining milk. My aunt kept this observation a secret, allowing the calf its share. Imagine if we could understand the cow’s vocalizations to her calf, perhaps saying, “Don’t cry my child, I will save some milk for you.” Or imagine if we could comprehend the pain in her cries when her newborn is taken away in the dairy industry. Would we still hold the same opinions we do now?
Just imagine if we could understand the pleas of calves and piglets when they are slaughtered — if we could hear them calling for their mothers, begging to be saved. Would we continue to see them the same way as we do today?
