Ai, the “brilliant” chimpanzee, died at the age of 49 in Japan due to multiple organ failure and age-related disorders. Originally from West Africa and moved to Kyoto University in 1977, Ai was the protagonist of some of the first Japanese scientific studies dedicated to the mind of non-human primates. From an early age, the animal demonstrated extraordinary abilities: it recognized over 100 Chinese characters, the English alphabet, the numbers from zero to nine and even eleven colors.
It connected symbols and real objects
Studies conducted by primatologist Tetsuro Matsuzawa showed how Ai was capable of connecting symbols and real objects. In one experiment, the chimpanzee was shown the Chinese character for the color pink next to a pink and a purple square, and the chimpanzee correctly chose the corresponding square.
In another test, when she was shown an apple, she reproduced the shape using a circle, a rectangle and a dot, creating a sort of “virtual apple”. These cognitive abilities have made Ai a central figure for understanding memory, perception, and symbolic learning in primates.
Escaping from the cage
Ai was not only a brilliant monkey, but also curious and determined. In 1989 she managed to escape from the cage together with another specimen, using a key to open the lock, a feat that demonstrated her practical intelligence and ingenuity. In 2000, she gave birth to Ayumu, whose talent further confirmed scientists’ interest in the transfer of knowledge between generations of chimpanzees.
During his life, Ai participated in hundreds of experiments with keyboards connected to computers, helping to outline a fundamental experimental framework for understanding the primate mind. Her results have been published in prestigious scientific journals, but she owes her popularity to the media who dubbed her “genius” for her abilities. In 2017, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the project, Jane Goodall received a scarf inspired by one of her designs.
A life spent far from its habitat
His life, however, also reminds us of the harsh reality of life in captivity. Despite having contributed enormously to our knowledge of primates, Ai was never able to live in his natural habitat, in the African forest from which he came. Far from freedom and natural rhythms, she spent almost five decades between experiments and cages, a very high price for human knowledge.
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