#ML suggests all that relaxing #whale song might just be human-esque gossiping
"Contextual and combinatorial structure in #spermwhale vocalisations," was undertaken by MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (#CSAIL) researchers and #ProjectCETI. The team used a relatively simple #machinelearning algorithm to analyze the communicative sounds #spermwhales make, thought to be a system of fixed messages – are actually much more complex than previously thought.
https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/09/ai_whale_language/

In a time when we’re being inundated with all manner of ‘AI’ to ‘make us more productive’ (not the same as ‘work less’), it’s pretty nice to see AI being used to unravel the mysteries of the world around us.

Machine learning, a branch of AI, has been used in the discovery of what could be described as ‘phonetic alphabet’ the building blocks of a more complex form of communication.

Scientists have been trying for decades to understand how sperm whales communicate. The researchers, part of the Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) machine learning team, created a giant underwater recording studio with microphones at different depths to examine calls made by about 60 whales, which were tagged to ascertain if they were diving, sleeping or breathing at the surface while clicking.
Having analysed more than 8,700 snippets of sperm whale clicks, known as codas, the researchers claim to have found four basic components making up a “phonetic alphabet”.

Scientists discover sperm whale ‘phonetic alphabet’, AlJazeera, 8 May 2024.

The actual source paper for the article comes from Nature Communications: Contextual and combinatorial structure in sperm whale vocalisations (7 May 2024), which even links to the source data on Github.

In an election year, it does seem much more attractive to listen to whales than politicians.

The Project Ceti website is worth perusing, and there are ways to get involved, from donation of funds to donation of code and other things.

In the middle of all the AI hype, it’s good to see something that’s about exploring and increasing our understanding of the world we’re in, and the creatures around us that could probably teach us a few tricks if we knew how to listen.

Further reading on the general topic: How to Use AI to Talk to Whales—and Save Life on Earth

https://knowprose.com/2024/05/08/learning-more-about-sperm-whales-a-phonetic-alphabet/

#AI #artificialIntelligence #cetacean #interspeciesCommunication #machineLearning #ProjectCETI #spermWhale #Technology

How #FirstContact With #Whale Civilization Could Unfold lead by #ProjectCETI; If we learn to speak their language, what should we say?
#SpermWhales are planet’s largest-brained animals, and their nested social structures are immense. About 10 whales swim together full-time as a unit. They will sometimes meet up with others in groups of hundreds. All of the whales in these larger groups belong to clans that can contain as many as 10,000
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/02/talking-whales-project-ceti/677549/
No Paywall https://archive.ph/BlYVI

Whale, whale, whale, what do we have here? 🐋

Dive deep into the world of underwater communication with #ProjectCETI and discover how they're using tech magic to decode the language of sperm whales! 🎩🐳 Be amazed as you witness the birth of a baby #whale – an oceanic symphony like no other! 🌊🎶

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/sperm-whale-birth-project-ceti-video

Using language models to help decrypt the songs of whales and dolphins.

I'll have more to say about this topic in the future.

https://www.iflscience.com/can-ai-help-us-talk-to-animals-66871

#AI #languagemodels #whales #dolphins #animallanguage #animalcommunication #projectCETI #wilddolphinproject