AI could be extraordinarily good for animals, or utterly catastrophic.
It could give our cats and dogs far greater independence, reveal innovative ways to help wild animals, and help us understand other animals’ communication. But it could also push factory farming into disturbing new realms and unleash forms of exploitation we can’t yet imagine.
In AI, Animals, and Us, researcher Max Taylor explores this emerging field, drawing on conversations with engineers, scientists, and philosophers. From robotic cat companions and whale translation devices to 26-story “pork skyscrapers,” he examines what AI means for our relationships with other animals, and even whether AI itself might one day be able to feel pleasure and pain.
Most conversations about AI stop at humans. AI, Animals, and Us reveals how the ethical and technological choices we make today will shape the future for every species on the planet, not just our own.
