Professor Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas has a personal passion for animals & a professional passion for the power of technology. She came to Manchester to discuss how she brought these passions together and why the implications of her work for both animals and humans could be profound.Ilyena’s experiments show that animals are quite able and willing to use Internet technologies to interact with digital content, other animals and humans. Her work shows the amazing potential for how an ‘Internet for Animals’ could dramatically improve both human understanding of animal behaviour and overall animal welfare. Ilyena’s talk is an illustration of how the curiosity at the heart of academic exploration can lead us to unexpected places.Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas is a computer scientist and Lecturer at the University of Glasgow who creates interactive computer interfaces that enable animals to access the Internet, connect with each other, and control aspects of their environment. Pioneering the field of animal-computer interaction, her research explores how we can design technologies that not only serve animals but also reveal profound insights into their behaviour and cognition. Her work is regularly featured in the media, including The New York Times, New Scientist, and a Netflix documentary, bridging the worlds of technology and animal welfare.This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx