Although cats make some of the best companions on Earth, it can still be difficult to tell if they love us or want to murder us in our sleep. (Especially when we attempt to put the little felines in boxes or Iron Man helmets.) Now however, thanks to AI literally taking over the world, there’s a new app that can make that emotional gray area a little more black and white. Or should we say a little more rusty brown-orange-ish and white?
Sylvester.ai
PetaPixel picked up on the new AI-powered app, Tably. Sylvester.ai, a “predictive healthcare company” that makes “products powered by artificial intelligence to improve animal health outcomes across species” is behind the app.
According to Sylvester.ai—a joint venture between Canadian AI company, AltaML and The Bar G portfolio of companies—Tably gives owners a “deeper understanding” of their cats’ moods and general health. The app works simply, with users only required to scan their cats’ faces with their smartphone cameras. The app then immediately provides answers to questions like: How grumpy is my cat? Does my cat like the way I pet it? Should I take out a life insurance policy because of the way my cat stares at me when I don’t feed it on time?
“The big challenge with cats is that they don’t express when they’re in pain,” AltaML vice president, Chris O’Brien,” told PetaPixel. “They go and hide, whereas a dog will come in and whine and nuzzle you,” he added.
Indeed, Tably relies on the “Feline Grimace Scale (FGS)” to determine a particular cat’s mood. For those unfamiliar, the FGS determines how much pain a cat is in. The scale works based on physical signals such as ear position, muzzle tension, and changes in the way whiskers move. And, as Wired Magazine notes in its writeup of Tably, these clear signals are perfect for training machine-learning algorithms. Big data regarding which faces accompany which moods is perfect for the AI algorithms to spot patterns.
Checking out that new cat AI program. https://t.co/K5AWax038X pic.twitter.com/FK9q7uQ5ni
— Annie Lord commander of radiators (@HurricaneHam) August 1, 2021
For those who want to try out Tably, you’ll need to sign up as a beta tester at this point. Which is something you may or may not want to do depending on your ability to read cat emotions. Or your level of fear concerning what a feline data-driven AI could ultimately lead to.
Feature image: Sylvester.ai