The Future with Hannah Fry · Series 2 · Episode 2
The Future with Hannah Fry, Animal Communication: what the evidence says about AI and animal communication
What the episode covers, where AI and animal communication stands on the 311 Starburst and what leaders should take from it.
What it covers
About the episode
The episode looks at efforts to use AI and new sensors to understand how animals communicate, from dogs that use talking buttons to the low rumbles of elephants.
- Broadcaster
- Bloomberg Originals; BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (UK, 2026)
- Made by
- Bloomberg Media with Windfall Films
- Distributed by
- TVF International
- Episode
- Series 2, episode 2
Official episode page (Bloomberg Originals; BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (UK, 2026)) · More about the series
What the evidence says
Where AI and animal communication stands in 2026
The 311 Starburst maps when each emerging technology and trend is expected to reach wide use. These are the entries that match this subject, with their status today.
- Technology · IntelligenceLarge Language Models
Large language models are AI programs trained on huge amounts of text. They can write, answer questions and translate, and they power chatbots such as Claude.
- Expected wide use
- 2024
- Status in 2026
- Act now
- Readiness
- TRL 9 of 9
- Trend · R&D TrendsAI Accelerated Science
- Expected wide use
- 2030
- Status in 2026
- Prepare
Source: the 311 Starburst, researched by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit (data built 2026-10-28). Status rings: Act now means wide use by 2027, Prepare 2028 to 2030, Explore 2031 to 2035, Watch 2036 or later. Explore the Starburst Centre.
311 analysis
What leaders should take from it
- Pattern-finding AI is opening up science that was out of reach; ask what hidden signals exist in your own data.
- Be careful with claims of 'translation': finding patterns is not the same as understanding meaning.
- Expect biodiversity monitoring with sound and AI to become a tool for land, farming and infrastructure decisions.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
Next steps
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Answers
Common questions
Can AI translate animal language?
Not yet. AI can find structure in animal sounds, but there is no working translator. The 311 Starburst does not track animal-language translation as a separate technology; it tracks AI-accelerated science as a Prepare trend.
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