The Wild with Chris Morgan Digital Dr. Dolittle: decoding animal conversations with artificial intelligence (reprise)
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Jul 23, 2024 
In this episode, Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Earth Species Project, and Karen Bakker, a UBC professor, unpack the fascinating world of animal communication through AI. They discuss how machine learning can decode non-human languages and the ethical dilemmas that arise. The conversation highlights the delicate balance between technological advances and deep listening to nature. With a focus on Indigenous data sovereignty, they emphasize the responsibility that comes with these interactions, urging for mindful engagement as we enter a new era of potential human-animal dialogue.
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Gelada Monkeys' Language
- Aza Raskin was inspired to decode animal communication after hearing about gelada monkeys.
- Researchers believed the monkeys had a large vocabulary and talked about them.
AI Language Mapping
- AI translates languages by creating shapes representing semantic relationships between words.
- Words with similar meanings cluster together, forming a unique structure for each language.
Turtle Communication
- Researcher Jacqueline Giles discovered that turtles, previously thought mute, have complex vocalizations.
- Their quiet, low-frequency sounds and long pauses between calls were initially missed.