If you envied Dr Doolittle’s abilities to chat with animals, sing songs with them and make sense of their ‘grrrs’, ‘meaows’ and ‘woofs’, your wish may be fulfilled soon.
According to a report by futurologist William Higham, backed by e-retail giant Amazon, humans may soon be able to communicate with their furry friends, thanks to innovations backed by Artificial Intelligence.
“Innovative products that succeed are based around genuine and major consumer needs. The amount of money now spent on pets – they are becoming fur babies to so many people – means there is huge consumer demand for this. Somebody is going to put this together,” Higham told The Guardian.
Higham, whose report is based on the extensive work by a professor in Northern Arizona University, has claimed that the technology will only take 10 years to develop.
While the thought of talking to our furry BFFs seems enchanting and adorable at once, one wonders about the ramifications of the technology. Because not only our pet dogs and cats our pets, they are also our friends who we confide in, happy with the knowledge that they won’t spill our beans.
Haven’t we all laughed at the famous comic strip-turned-cartoon-turned-movie star cat Garfield’s inner monologue about his ‘hooman’? The lazy, naughty cat is the pinnacle of self-centred behaviour and has a constant condescending attitude towards his owner.
What about the slew of dog photos and cat videos? Won’t they take an interesting turn if they were embellished with actual quotes and subtitles from the pets?
Jokes apart, many scholars and experts now believe that if humans are able to interact with their pets, their motivation to procreate may decrease.
Whatever the motivation, most humans are eagerly waiting for Amazon’s “latest greatest invention”. And if you want to know what the pets think about this, we’ll just have to wait a decade.
