Researchers say AI may not benefit animals with ‘talking’ to them
University of Bristol researcher Stephanie King, who co‑leads the long‑running Shark Bay Dolphin Research project, says AI can help process data but warns that the quest to “talk to dolphins” is misleading. She notes that media hype and cash prizes such as the Coller Dolittle Challenge push scientists toward premature claims, while the true meaning of dolphin whistles and clicks remains largely…
Key points
- Stephanie King warns AI hype may distract from careful, long‑term dolphin field studies.
- The Coller Dolittle Challenge offers cash prizes for algorithms that claim to communicate with non‑human species.
- Researchers propose the Pepp ethical framework, but its practical adoption remains uncertain.
Elephant expert Joyce Poole shares the same scepticism, calling the idea of a universal animal translator “gimmicky” and stressing that simply understanding animal communication could improve their treatment. Others, like César Rodríguez‑Garavito of NYU’s More Than Human Life program, see AI as a possible way to give animals a voice in policy, yet stress the need for ethical safeguards. The field has responded with the Pepp framework (prepare, engage, prevent, protect), though its impact on practice is still unclear.
Using AI to ‘talk to animals’ might make us feel clever – but what, if anything, does it do for them?
The Guardian AI · 22 September 2026
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