The newly established Centre for Animal Sentience will delve into animal consciousness and the ethical implications of using AI in our interactions with them.

Any pet owner who’s witnessed their cat sulk, dog whine, or rabbit exhibit peculiar paw behaviour will recognize the familiar pang of guilt shared by most. For those yearning to understand the inner lives of their loyal companions, help may soon be available. This comes with the launch of the first scientific institution dedicated to empirically investigating animal consciousness.

The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, based at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), is set to begin its work on September 30. Its research will encompass a vast array of non-human animals, including species as evolutionarily distant from us as insects, crabs, and cuttlefish.

Backed by £4 million and leveraging extensive interdisciplinary global expertise, the centre’s research will span diverse fields such as neuroscience, philosophy, veterinary science, law, evolutionary biology, comparative psychology, behavioural science, computer science, economics, and artificial intelligence.

One of its most compelling projects will explore how AI could facilitate human-pet communication, while also addressing the risks if such technology goes awry and how to mitigate them.

Professor Jonathan Birch, the centre’s inaugural director, commented, “We enjoy seeing human characteristics in our pets, and the advent of AI will elevate how they can ‘speak’ to us to an entirely new level.”

However, Birch cautions, “AI often generates fabricated responses designed to please the user, rather than being grounded in objective reality. This could be disastrous if applied to pets’ welfare.” Birch himself notably influenced the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act, leading to its expansion to include cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans.

He offers separation anxiety as a key example: dog owners frequently seek reassurance that their pets aren’t suffering when left alone for extended periods. While futuristic “translation” apps, powered by large language models, might promise such comfort, they risk causing harm by telling owners what they want to hear instead of what the animal genuinely needs.

“We urgently need frameworks governing responsible, ethical AI use in relation to animals,” Birch asserts. “Currently, there’s a complete absence of regulation in this area. The centre aims to develop globally recognized ethical guidelines.”

Birch also highlighted the critical lack of regulation concerning animals and driverless cars, noting that while extensive debate focuses on preventing human harm, the issue of these vehicles avoiding animals like cats and dogs remains largely unaddressed.

The center also identified AI’s increasing role in agriculture as a critical issue. Birch noted that farming is rapidly embracing automation, a trend expected to accelerate considerably. However, she warned that this progress is largely happening without sufficient scrutiny or public debate, leading to significant ethical questions about its limits. This includes whether farming should involve compassionate relationships with animals, and if it should, whether the current trajectory aligns with that goal.

The center plans to collaborate with non-governmental organizations to develop global guidance, research, and codes of practice, which can then be advocated for worldwide.

Jeff Sebo, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection at New York University, stated that animal sentience and welfare, the impact of AI on animals, and societal attitudes towards animals represent “among the most critical, challenging, and overlooked issues confronting humanity.”

He further emphasized that humans share the planet with millions of species and quintillions of individual animals, asserting that our actions inevitably affect animal life across the globe, regardless of our intent.

Professor Kristin Andrews, a trustee of the new center, expressed her belief that it could address what she considers the paramount question in science: the nature of human consciousness and its potential restoration following conditions like stroke or other medical emergencies.

She elaborated, “We currently lack a complete understanding of what underlies human consciousness, or the mechanisms by which consciousness begins or ceases.” However, she added, “We recognize that the most effective approach to finding these answers involves first studying simpler systems, much like how science has achieved significant advancements in genomics and medicine through the study of basic organisms.”

Dr. Kristof Dhont, another trustee, shared his fascination with human attitudes regarding animal sentience.

He identified “one of the most urgent behavioral challenges of our era as bridging the disparity between public beliefs about animals and their actual treatment of them.”

Dhont explained, “While the majority of people hold deep affection for animals, numerous ingrained systems, habits, social norms, and economic incentives obstruct the translation of this concern into compassionate animal treatment.”

He added, “My goal is to apply behavioral science to comprehend, for instance, the resistance to consuming cultivated meat, even given the shared understanding that it would spare sentient beings from slaughter.”

Jeremy Coller, whose foundation committed multiyear funding to the center, stated his objective is to transform attitudes within what he termed our “speciesist species.”

He asserted, “A more profound comprehension of how other animals experience emotions and communicate is essential for us to recognize our own deficiencies in their treatment.”

Coller concluded, “Just as the Rosetta Stone provided the key to deciphering hieroglyphics, I am persuaded that AI’s capabilities can similarly unlock our comprehension of how other animals perceive their interactions with humans.”