ensynAIsthesis: Evaluating an AI-Driven Platform for Communicating Animal Science Through Interactive Dialogue

ensynAIsthesis addresses the "perception gap" in animal welfare, where vital scientific data remains trapped in academic journals while passive information fails to shift public behavior. The project asked whether active perspective-taking through interactive dialogue could bypass intellectual detachment and generate genuine empathy. The prototype allows users to engage in first-person conversations with 26 different species. To ensure answers are not arbitrary, the platform uses a RAG pipeline to back every claim with real-time, peer-reviewed citations from PubMed and Semantic Scholar. Users can customize the experience across seven audience tiers and four dynamic welfare states, which alter the animal’s emotional tone to reflect its environment.

The prototype was validated based on feedback by 26 participants using a shrimp baseline. Interaction led to a 73.1% increase in empathetic concern for shrimp welfare. The platform achieved 96.2% scientific credibility and a 100% improved understanding of the species among participants.

Additionally, 88.4% of participants found the tool useful for animal organizations, 100% thought it had educational potential, and 92.3% were interested in seeing this developed further. Some users felt that the first person narrative could risk anthropomorphism and that responses were occasionally too lengthy or exhibited generative text markers; these areas for refinement provide a clear roadmap for refining the prototype before deployment.