Or what if we are not recognized as intelligent beings?
Ever see the classic Canadian animated short from 1967 titled What on Earth?!
The premise is that Martians have sent a probe to observe our planet and
deduce that automobiles are the dominant life form. They come up with
many interesting theories to explain the various "behaviors" of cars, including
how they reproduce.
In the end, they do note the existence of humans, but think we are parasites
that use the cars as hosts. The Martians intend to eventually help the Earthlings
with their infestation problem as an interplanetary goodwill gesture.