From WIRED · Kate Taylor · · 1m 10s
AI learns to speak dolphin
Denise Herzing's Wild Dolphin Project is using large language models to decode what dolphins say to each other, and attempt to talk back.
In brief
Denise Herzing's Wild Dolphin Project is using large language models to decode what dolphins say to each other, and attempt to talk back. Researchers are using AI to find patterns in dolphin communication and test two-way conversation, though full translation remains distant. Originally reported by WIRED.
Forty years waiting for AI
Denise Herzing, founder of the Wild Dolphin Project, began studying Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas in 1985. She has now spent four decades waiting for artificial intelligence to help decode their clicks and whistles.
Finding patterns in dolphin language
Herzing's team has gathered countless hours of video and audio footage of dolphins. Working with scientists at Georgia Tech and Google DeepMind, they are using AI to find patterns in dolphin communication and give structure…
“With AI, we can find patterns. This is a powerful new tool. I've personally been waiting for it.”
Testing two-way conversation
Researchers rigged an underwater wearable computer to play dolphin sounds, including sounds for objects like a scarf and habitats like sargassum seaweed. Two researchers would model behavior and observe how dolphins responded to the sounds.
Understanding remains distant
The challenge is distinguishing between dolphins mimicking sounds and actually understanding their function. Full two-way conversation remains far off because researchers still need to understand what dolphins are saying within their own culture.
“We might have the data and the structure, but what does it mean in dolphin culture? That's going to be an exploration on its own.”
What matters most
Researchers are using AI to find patterns in dolphin communication and test two-way conversation, though full translation remains distant.
