Chinese tech giant Baidu has filed a patent for an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to translate animal sounds and behaviors into human language, aiming to bridge the communication gap between humans and animals. The patent, submitted to the China National Intellectual Property Administration in December 2024 and made public in May 2025, outlines a method that collects data such as vocalizations, body language, behavioral changes, and physiological signals from animals.
This data is then analyzed by AI to identify the animal’s emotional state, which is subsequently translated into a language understandable by humans. Baidu’s system leverages multiple AI technologies, including machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, to interpret and continuously improve its understanding of animal communication. While the patent indicates Baidu’s technical ambitions, the technology is still in the research phase, and there is no clear timeline for commercialization. The patent review process may take one to three years or longer, leaving the availability of such a product uncertain for now.
The system could allow “deeper emotional communication and understanding between animals and humans, improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication,” Baidu said in the patent document.
“There has been a lot of interest in the filing of our patent application,” a Baidu spokesperson said when asked how soon the company could turn the patent into a product. “Currently, it is still in the research phase.”
After OpenAI’s ChatGPT debuted in 2022, Baidu was one of the first significant Chinese corporations to make significant investments in AI. Last month, IBM launched Ernie 4.5 Turbo, its newest AI model, claiming that it performed on par with the best in the business in a number of benchmark tests. But in the face of intense competition, the Ernie chatbot has had trouble taking off. Outside of China, there are several initiatives aimed at figuring out what animals are trying to say.
While the Earth Species Project, a non-profit organisation established in 2017 with support from Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn, is also attempting to use AI to decode animal communication, international researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have been using statistical analysis and AI since 2020 to understand how sperm whales communicate.
Late on Wednesday, local media outlets’ coverage of Baidu’s patent application generated conversation on Chinese social media sites. Some were doubtful, while others were thrilled by the prospect of one day understanding their pets better.
