Animals in Translation: A Conversation

Diana Reiss, Hunter College, Interspecies Internet
David Krakauer, SFI
The Santa Fe Institute recently hosted a workshop called "Animals in Translation," organized by Interspecies Internet, with representatives from XPrize, which aimed to imagine, discuss and co-create robust yet flexible criteria that would constitute evidence for the successful decoding of communication systems by other species. Towards this goal, the meeting brought together experts from the fields of animal communication, cognition, behavior, AI, philosophy, linguistics, mathematics, and the arts.
The outcomes from this meeting will contribute to the wider field of exobiology, and representatives of XPrize Biodiversity + Conservation will further co-develop a prize concept for animal translation based on the criteria conceived.
This public event features a conversation between Diana Reiss and David Krakauer on key insights that emerged from the workshop, with recorded interviews of other workshop participants.
Diana Reiss is a professor of psychology at Hunter College and in the graduate program of Animal Behavior and Comparative Psychology at the City University of New York. Reiss's research has focused on understanding cognition and communication in dolphins and other cetaceans. Her important contributions include demonstrating mirror self-awareness in dolphins via the Mirror test. Her work in conservation and animal welfare includes "the protection of dolphins in the tuna-fishing industry and her current efforts to bring an end to the killing of dolphins in the drive hunts in Japan." She was the scientific advisor for The Cove and wrote The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives. She is a Founding Trustee of the Interspecies Internet.
David Krakauer is the President and William H. Miller Professor of Complexity Science at the Santa Fe Institute. His research explores the evolution of intelligence and stupidity on earth. This includes studying the evolution of cellular, linguistic, social and cultural mechanisms and artifacts supporting memory and information processing. His attempt to answer such questions as "How did intelligence evolve in the universe?" and "What is the relationship of intelligence to fundamental physical and biological laws, to include entropy production, the arrow of time, and natural selection?" are pursued using a combination of carefully selected model systems and mathematical and computational frameworks.
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[@woodandwandco]

My cat, Smokey, recognizes herself in the mirror. Every night she sleeps in my lap, and there is a mirror in front of the bed at her eye level, so she frequently checks out her own reflection and will groom herself afterwards on her own belly, which the mirror allows her to see better. She can also see my face in the mirror, and she will frequently look into the mirror at the reflection of my eyes when I speak to her, so she not only recognizes her own reflection but mine as well!

[@InterspeciesInternet]

Thank you to the Santa Fe Institute for inviting us! This discussion was truly enlightening, and we're genuinely thrilled about the future of animal communication. It's amazing how much it can teach us about our place in the web of life.

[@gasperbegus6170]

A great conversation!

[@MargoHenning]

Congratulations and thank you for continuing the dialogue about intelligence in its many forms. It is always a pleasure to hear from the Sante Fe Institute and your inspiring guests and scholars.

[@jackallread]

Great discussion!!

[@pritamlaskar]

Amazing conversation!

[@user-sx9lb1uv5m]

Thank you🎉

[@marcymercy-sx6oc]

Finding patterns in animal communication and understanding them. Will it help designing better robot?