In Brief
Pigeons possess a remarkable visual and spatial intelligence, enabling them to quickly recognize patterns in their environment.
To prove this, researchers gave the birds a difficult test and found that they had learned to recognize the categories and click on the correct buttons, even in ambiguous cases.
AI technologies are based on well-known methods that are subject even to ordinary pigeons, so don’t underestimate its cognitive abilities.
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It’s pretty incredible what pigeons can do. Researchers have found that the cognitive abilities of pigeons are on par with advanced computer neural networks. How is this possible?
Computers use the same methodology as birds: associative learning, or the ability to identify patterns and objects. Computers, thanks to their power and huge memory, are far superior to birds, but the approach to learning is similar. Pigeons possess remarkable visual and spatial intelligence, enabling them to quickly recognize patterns in their environment. By learning to associate different visual and aural cues, pigeons can navigate their surroundings, find food sources and remember important places.
To prove this, the researchers gave the birds a difficult test. Each experimental pigeon was shown a stimulus. The task was to determine which category it belonged to by clicking the right or left mouse button. For a correct answer, pigeons got a tasty treat; a wrong answer meant they got nothing. After thousands of trials, the researchers concluded that the pigeons had learned to recognize the categories and click on the correct buttons, even in ambiguous cases.
The pigeons were able to memorize enough scenarios to reach almost 70% accuracy. AI uses the same associative learning: It identifies patterns and learns from them.
AI technologies seem to be something unrealistic, but they are based on well-known methods that are subject even to ordinary pigeons. So the next time you see a pigeon, don’t underestimate its cognitive abilities—it may be smarter than you think!
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