Animal Language Models
2025
AI keeps trying to be more human, why can't it be more animal? And how can it be used to facilitate the communication between zoo and wild animals? By studying and visualizing individual animals’ ‘language’ - gestures, scents, and visual signals - AI can map the mechanisms of animal communication. Much like how LLM can be visualised as a shape outlining an irregular shaped galaxy of points, each representing a word, ALM’s (DBU) map animal language and allow comparison in ‘vocabulary’. When this data overlaps, new insights emerge. AI can help us understand how animals develop ‘cultures’ in different environments, being the zoo and their natural habitat. By analysing the geometric spaces between associated words or the shifted positions of words we are able to better understand how the animals view the artificial environment around them and gives us opportunities for change.
/ Microsoft live-brief /
“AI and AI-powered tools are poised to transform the nature of work, what we do and how human endeavor is valued in different contexts by different people.” ALM explores a use of AI in the Zoo. Its artificial intelligence reflects the artificial nature of the zoo. Questioning where might AI be placed within this morally complex and artificial environment?
FIG. 01 Animal Lingo Books
FIG. 02 Gorilla Lingo Book
FIG. 03 'This Not That' Gorilla Edition close up
FIG. 04 'This Not That' Gorilla Edition
FIG. 05 Mapping the Animal Lingo hypothesis diagram
FIG. 6 Language mapping model
FIG. 08 Overlapping wild and zoo chameleons language models
FIG. 09 Wild and Zoo gorilla language models
FIG. 10 Close up of Gorilla ALM's
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