Pigs can’t fly, but they can talk thanks to AI translators

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Pigs are noisy, but artificial intelligence can interpret their sounds and tell us what they’re feeling based on them. A group of scientists has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm that can decipher the emotions of pigs based on their grunts, squeals and snorts. The research aims to help farmers understand the emotional and physical health and well-being of their animals. Knowing whether pigs are happy, sad, stressed, or otherwise can help those who raise them to address any potential problems affecting the animals and keep them in better conditions.

The researchers used thousands of recordings of pigs in a wide variety of situations throughout their lives, right up until, in some cases, they ended up at the slaughterhouse. Each squeal and grunt was tagged and labeled depending on whether the pig was having a positive or negative experience. Soon, artificial intelligence was able to determine the emotions that caused different sounds. For example, a high-pitched squeal often indicates fear or stress, while a short grunt means the pig is happy.

Modern farms have a lot of high-tech equipment used to monitor the physical health of animals. Adding their psychological fitness to the list could be a real boon for farmers. Happy pigs are healthy, but stressed pigs can be a sign of bigger problems. Happier pigs are beneficial for more than just ethical reasons; they are also generally more valuable for meat.

Dutle AI

The researchers believe that with enough data, this artificial intelligence could be adapted to understand the emotions of other animals. There are already efforts in this arena. The new band Shazam uses AI to translate for animals. The collar around your dog or cat (or any animal) uses sensors to track how the animal responds to what you say to it and to their movements. The AI ​​translates this into human language and broadcasts from the speakers in the collar. Over time, it learns your pet’s communication skills and becomes more accurate.

Fitting such collars to millions of farmed pigs is unlikely to be practical. However, the AI ​​algorithm can be applied in other useful ways. The researchers aim to create an app that uses an algorithm that farmers can use to check temperatures or monitor wildlife. Then all that’s needed is to connect the device to a loom and thread to allow the pig to make its own tapestry to proclaim how wonderful it is without a spider.

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