Chinese technology giant Baidu has applied for a patent for an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
This system is designed to translate the vocalizations of animals into human language, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.
Baidu reportedly submitted the patent application in December, but it was only made public by China’s National Intellectual Property Administration on Tuesday.
The patent outlines a method for gathering various data points from animals. This includes their vocalizations, body language, behavioral shifts, and other biological signals.
The AI then assesses the animal’s emotional state based on this data.
Finally, it translates this emotional assessment into a chosen human language. Baidu stated in its application that the system leverages multiple branches of AI.
These include machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing.
In instances where the system encounters an animal sound that doesn’t align with its existing historical data, researchers will manually label the input.
This process allows the AI model to be retrained and improve its accuracy over time. While the patent filing reveals significant technological aspirations, it does not indicate any specific timeline for when, or even if, Baidu intends to commercialize this technology for public use.
It’s important to note that the publication of this patent application does not guarantee its eventual approval.
You Yunting, a senior partner at Shanghai Debund Law Firm, commented that the patent review process can typically take anywhere from one to three years, and potentially even longer for more complex applications.
