‘Genius’ chimpanzee who could read Chinese characters dies at 49

Tokyo: Ai, a chimpanzee renowned for her exceptional cognitive abilities and often described as a “genius”, has died at the age of 49, Japanese researchers have said.

Kyoto University’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior said Ai, whose name means “love” in Japanese, died on Friday from multiple organ failure and age-related conditions. The centre was formerly known as the Primate Research Institute.

Originally from west Africa, Ai arrived at Kyoto University in 1977. Researchers said Ai began learning language-related tasks at just 18 months old, using a range of materials including computers. She became a central figure in decades of research into perception, learning and memory that significantly advanced scientific understanding of primate intelligence.

Researchers found that Ai could recognise more than 100 Chinese characters, the English alphabet, Arabic numerals from zero to nine, and 11 different colours, according to primatologist Tetsuro Matsuzawa. Her abilities were demonstrated in a series of experiments, including one in which she correctly matched the Chinese character for pink with a pink square on a computer screen, distinguishing it from a purple alternative.

In another study, when shown an apple, Ai selected a rectangle, a circle and a dot on a screen to recreate a “virtual apple”, illustrating her capacity for abstract representation.

The chimpanzee was also known for her problem-solving skills. In 1989, she escaped from her enclosure with another chimpanzee, with researchers later concluding that Ai had unlocked a padlock using a key.

Her remarkable skills made her the focus of numerous academic studies and media features, including research published in the journal Nature, and earned her widespread recognition as a “genius” chimpanzee.

In 2000, she gave birth to a son, Ayumu, whose own cognitive abilities later attracted attention for research into the transfer of knowledge between parent and offspring, according to Kyodo News.

The Center said Ai’s work helped to establish a vital experimental framework for understanding the chimpanzee mind and provided important insights into the evolution of human cognition. 

(with inputs from AFP)