Christian Rutz, a behavioral ecologist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, has spent much of his career studying the toolmaking capabilities of the New Caledonian Crow, one of the only birds known to manufacture tools. Rutz wanted to know whether the distinct vocalizations of different crow groups around the island could help explain cultural differences in toolmaking among the groups. Recent breakthroughs in AI have enabled scientists to explore the potential for animals to communicate in ways that were previously thought to be unique to humans. AI is now being used to understand animals’ communicative behavior and explore the potential for animals to communicate with humans.
