AI驱动的动物语言解析与双向沟通展望
当前，人工智能正在重塑我们对动物沟通方式的理解。Kristin Andrews教授指出，研究的核心在于开发人类与动物之间的双向沟通系统（Two-way communication system）。尽管这尚处于愿景阶段，但科学研究已揭示，动物的沟通系统远比此前想象的复杂，具备类似于人类的语法结构。例如，海豚和鲸鱼的叫声表现出统计学规律（Statistical regularities），而鸟鸣中存在的递归（Recursion）结构，均被视为曾被认为是人类独有的特征。随着AI技术的深入，科学家正致力于解析这些结构，从而实现从简单的信号发出（如预警）向复杂信息交换的跨越。
Original English Source
There is a lot of excitement in the potential of using AI in order to communicate with animals. Well, right now we're trying to develop a two-way communication system between humans and other animals. This is the dream, this has always been the dream I think for humans who've, since Dr. Dolittle, wanting to be able to talk to animals. So, a two-way communication system would be a way in which we could have a conversation with other animals, but we're not there yet. So far what we've discovered is that we might actually be able to create something like this, because animals might have communication systems of the sort that might be construed of as language, something that could be translated into language, and the reason we know this is because we've been seeing that animal communication systems have structure to them, something like human syntax. That there are statistical regularities in the sounds that dolphins or whales make. We know that bird song has recursion in it. These are features that were thought to be human unique at one point and now we're finding it-- we're finding it in other animals as well.动物文化、社会复杂性与技术应用设想
以鲸类翻译倡议（Project CETI: Cetacean Translation Initiative）为例，研究发现抹香鲸使用 156 种不同的点击声，构成了类似于语音字母表（Phonetic alphabet）的结构，且其叫声包含类似元音的特征。这不仅表明了鲸类的高度社会化，也暗示了其沟通系统能够承载更为复杂的信息。此外，非人类动物普遍存在文化传播（Culture）现象：鲸群间会传播特定的音调序列（Coda），类似于人类的流行音乐；黑猩猩群体间则存在不同的问候礼仪、时尚潮流（如在耳朵或臀部佩戴草叶）。基于这些发现，研究者希望利用类似 Merlin（鸟类鸣声识别应用）的 AI 技术，开发出能实时转译动物意图的 App，从而实现人类与动物在自然环境下的面对面对话。
Original English Source
So, I want to talk about Project CETI, C-E-T-I, the Cetacean Translation Initiative, and it found that sperm whales use 156 different click sounds and they call it a phonetic alphabet and last year they discovered that whale calls resemble vowel sounds, defining feature of the human language. What it tells us about whales' lives is that communicating with each other is really important to them, that they're really social and they need to be able to do things together. Another thing that's interesting is culture... Absolutely whales have culture... we're seeing similar sorts of things in, say, like, killer whales, orcas... We're finding that chimpanzees have these differences, too. We also are finding that chimpanzees have things that look like fashion statements. So, this is the goal of some of the research programs that are happening right now and that something like Merlin, so you might, if you listen to birdsong, you know, you can open Merlin, you can play it, and it will tell you what species is singing. What an app could potentially do is tell you what the bird is saying, and then you would push some other button and it would translate it into birdsong so the birds could hear what you were saying.AI伦理风险：深伪技术与动物主体性的再定义
随着跨物种沟通尝试的推进，AI技术引发了深刻的伦理考量。首要风险是研究过程中产生的深伪技术（Deep fakes）：在进行数据标注与模型训练后，通过回放实验（Playback experiments）验证模型理解的准确性时，若AI将叫声模拟为群体内知名成员，可能对该个体的地位造成极大的破坏，甚至导致群体行为失序。此外，Andrews教授强调，我们必须审视这种沟通行为本身：这是否在将人类的沟通需求强加于动物？如果这种尝试最终能让动物在法庭上拥有话语权，迫使人类承认其具备“人”的特质（即具备自身利益、目标与社会关系的意识个体），那么这不仅将改变我们与动物的关系，更将彻底重塑动物保护与相关法律的伦理基础。
Original English Source
The ethical implications of using AI to try to decode animal sounds and even talk to them, is there a possibility that researchers create deep fakes? ... If they make the signal sound like it's a known member of the group, then they are creating deep fakes... They are, in fact, creating this video, basically, or audio file of the animal saying something that they never wanted to say... I would ask a whale if they're being bothered by us recording them and trying to talk to them, because maybe the whales would just like to be left alone, right? ... If you can have a conversation with someone, then you're already respecting them as a person with their own interests and goals... We'll see other animals are persons, too, and that's really cool.📌 文中提及的人物和组织
公司/组织: York University