On a Hike with the Cow Whisperer

At the end of April 2025, Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel was on a hike on the Pfannenstiel with the Cow Whisperer. It is one of three GPTs that were developed in the „Animal Whisperer Project“ by August 2024 on the initiative of the technology philosopher by his student at the time, Nick Zbinden. The other two are the Horse Whisperer and the Dog Whisperer. On his way through the picturesque area near Zurich, Oliver Bendel came across a cow. The Cow Whisperer analyzed and evaluated her body language and came to the conclusion that she was not dangerous and that it was safe to proceed. It also pointed out that other cows were lying relaxed in this way and that this was a sign that the whole herd was relaxed and calm. The entire analysis and evaluation was extensive and included ear position, eye expression, head posture, body posture, tail posture, and surroundings. „The Animal Whisperer Project“ by Oliver Bendel and Nick Zbinden won the Honorable Mention Short Paper Award at the 2024 ACI Conference. The paper can be downloaded from the ACM Library.

Fig.: The Cow Whisperer in action