Will the Day Come When Dogs Can Really "Talk"? ─ Button Dogs: Myth or Science? Exploring the "Talking Dogs" Debate Through Language Evolution, AI, and Welfare

A comprehensive review by Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Hungary examined the latest findings on whether dogs can speak like humans. The conclusion is cautious: while dogs have developed human-oriented social and communication skills, there are fundamental barriers in anatomy (vocal organs and vocal tract control) and cognition (voice imitation and word formation) that make human-equivalent spoken language unrealistic. On the other hand, research on AIC (Animal-Interfaced Communication) "buttons" has shown promising results, such as word comprehension and reports of two-word combinations. However, there is also counter-evidence suggesting that the degradation of device sound quality hinders dogs' phoneme recognition, leading to divided interpretations. The review suggests that rather than forcing human language on dogs, we should deepen our understanding of dogs' natural vocalizations and gestures, contributing to language evolution research and ethology-robotics (the intersection of animal behavior and robotics). On social media, discussions have intensified, dividing into groups such as the "dreamers," the "conditioning advocates," and the "welfare and ethics proponents."