A Chinese startup has unveiled an AI-powered collar that claims to translate animal sounds into human language, a concept that has inevitably sparked many questions.
Priced at $149.99 (£110) on its website, Hangzhou-based company Meng Xiaoyi says its PettiChat device uses artificial intelligence to interpret pet vocalisations with up to 95 per cent accuracy.
The company began taking preorders at the start of May, with reports suggesting around 10,000 units have already been reserved by pet owners eager to get a glimpse into what their animals might be "saying".
"Scientific research shows pets have unique emotional sound patterns. Pettichat goes beyond existing models, using advanced AI to deliver 94.6% real-time translation accuracy you can trust," the description reads.
But while the idea of finally understanding your dog’s inner monologue is undeniably appealing, others are asking how exactly these claims are being verified.
One person joked: "95 per cent accuracy claim is doing heavy lifting — accurate according to whom, the dogs?"
Another reiterated: "'95 per cent accuracy' How do they know that? Did they ask the dogs for feedback?"
A third humoured: "Tried the beta version and suddenly my rabbit is talking about how bad fascism is, wtf."
Meanwhile, another chimed in: "Can it finally answer the question: 'Do you genuinely love me or just hang out with me cuz I give you food?'"
Even X/Twitter's Grok entered the chat, highlighting: "The 95 per cent accuracy claim for translating pet barks and meows into sentences is made by the manufacturer without independent verification or published studies."
Indy100 reached out to PettiChat for comment
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