AI Pet Translator From China Claims To Understand Pets With Almost 94% Accuracy

Is the era every pet owner has dreamed of finally here?

As in, understanding what their pets are trying to say.

Okay, fine, at least an AI-generated version of it.

A Hangzhou-based tech company called PettiChat recently launched an AI-powered pet translator that claims it can interpret cat and dog sounds into actual text.

Which means your dog’s random barking or your cat’s dramatic midnight screaming might finally come with subtitles.

According to the company, users simply attach the lightweight device (weighing 27g) to their pet’s collar.

Once clipped on, the translator supposedly analyses their sounds, then identifies emotional states, before converting them into text via an app.

Sounds like a WhatsApp conversation with our pets, though.

The device reportedly combines Alibaba Cloud’s Tongyi Qianwen AI technology and PettiChat’s own pet translation model, taking from a database of millions of pet sound and behaviour samples.

According to the company, the device can reportedly identify common emotional states in cats and dogs with an accuracy rate of up to 94.6%.

That includes recognising stress, excitement, hunger, and emotional cues.

Even more bizarre is how they claim the translator has self-learning capabilities, meaning it gradually adapts to each pet’s unique voice patterns, habits, and… “accents”.

Yes, accents.

Do dogs in Singapore bark in Singlish?

However, netizens were mixed about this latest use of AI.

While some called it a blessing for pet owners, sceptics feel the actual translations would mostly consist of “feed me”, “open the door”, or “why are you touching me?”

Imagine your cat meowing and translated to, “Oi, feed me leh!”

Others also debated how PettiChat came up with the 94.6% accuracy rate.

“Is the AI really understanding the pet? Or is it just analysing loud barking together with pacing and tail movement to guess what’s happening?” asked a netizen.

Photos: Pettichat, HK01, Chinapress,