Will AI help us talk to aliens?

In the film Arrival, a linguist has to decipher an alien language based on palindromic sentences. Today, if we were faced with a similar situation, artificial intelligence (AI) research could help us understand how languages develop. Although human language leaves no trace in fossils, we can simulate the evolution of language using AI, which can learn to communicate through experiments with artificial agents.

In these experiments, AIs agents are set to solve tasks that require communication with each other, without predefined rules. Through trial and error, they learn to communicate about objects and situations. The same process can be applied to humans, who, interacting without a common language, develop a form of communication. However, a major challenge is to understand what words mean, especially if they are only developed between artificial agents.

To decipher these languages, linguists use tools based on information theory, similar to those used by archaeologists to reconstruct ancient languages. These tools allow them to analyse conversations between AI agents and discover patterns that could help us understand how they structure communication.

This research is not only about aliens, but can also be applied to improve AI communication and enhance technologies such as autonomous vehicles or drones. In the future, decoding emerging languages could make technologies more understandable and easier to use.