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Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

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Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#11
I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth. There's so much of it, it's so clearly intelligent, and it would be so useful for SETI etc.

But for some reason there's a bias towards assuming that "intelligent" means "can do differential equations" - which doesn't even apply to most humans.

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#12

I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth. There's so much of it, it's so clearly intelligent, and it would be so useful for SETI etc. But for some reason there's a bias towards assuming that "intelligent" means "can do differential equations" - which doesn't even apply to most humans.

> baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth

Accidentally Ted Chiang [1].

[1] https://nautil.us/the-great-silence-237510/

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#13

Next up, an AI companion for birds. EDIT: this might not be as stupid as it sounded when I first typed it out.

Given how incredibly long some parrots live (usually longer than people) plus their need for attention and interaction, one could even argue our species is kind of ethically required to provide such a thing. We just have to keep adtech out.

"The oldest known parrot was a cockatoo, at least 82 years old at its death." [1] Crazy

[1] https://www.petmd.com/bird/how-long-do-parrots-live

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#14

I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth. There's so much of it, it's so clearly intelligent, and it would be so useful for SETI etc. But for some reason there's a bias towards assuming that "intelligent" means "can do differential equations" - which doesn't even apply to most humans.

We're only looking for extraterrestrial intelligence because we secretly like to think that we're unique in the universe.

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#15

I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth. There's so much of it, it's so clearly intelligent, and it would be so useful for SETI etc. But for some reason there's a bias towards assuming that "intelligent" means "can do differential equations" - which doesn't even apply to most humans.

Isn't it one of those things that's potentially useful for further research... but doesn't really have an apparent practical application? unfortunately we tend to prioritize things by what they can produce

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#16

Commercial opportunity: OnlyBirds should we filter out human users, or go for the aviphile market right from the start?

Push hard for humans who identify as parrots, so capital can be raised from The Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) Fund.

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given how incredibly long some parrots live (usually longer than people) plus their need for attention and interaction, one could even argue our species is kind of ethically required to provide such a thing. We just have to keep adtech out.

"The oldest known parrot was a cockatoo, at least 82 years old at its death." [1] Crazy [1] https://www.petmd.com/bird/how-long-do-parrots-live

[dead]

Re: Parrots learn to make video calls to chat with other parrots: study

#18

I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth. There's so much of it, it's so clearly intelligent, and it would be so useful for SETI etc. But for some reason there's a bias towards assuming that "intelligent" means "can do differential equations" - which doesn't even apply to most humans.

Since the Enlightenment, it has mainly been our use of language that underpinned humans' purported uniqueness. Prior to that, it was religion.

LLMs will be a challenge to the sense of entitlement which derives from this so-called uniqueness. I suspect another attempt to move those goal-posts is imminent.

>> I'm baffled that we don't spend more time trying to understand sentience on earth

I wonder whether there exists enough tagged big data to train an LLM on any non-human language. If not, chat apps like this parrot app could be a step in the right direction.

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