Google creates AI model to help understand what dolphins are talking about
The 'DolphinGemma' LLM aims to make the gibberish clicks and whistles of these animals less mysterious
Rowan Dunne
Researchers from Alphabet Inc Class A (Google) NASDAQGOOGL ETRABEA and the Georgia Institute of Technology are using artificial intelligence to learn what dolphins are making noise about all the time.
Google revealed the creation of its “DolphinGemma” large language model on Monday, National Dolphin Day.
“By identifying recurring sound patterns, clusters and reliable sequences, the model can help researchers uncover hidden structures and potential meanings within the dolphins’ natural communication,” the tech giant explained, “a task previously requiring immense human effort.”
The LLM will be shared as an open model this summer, the company said in its press release on the subject.
“Google just built a new large language model, but the language isn’t English, it’s Dolphin!” Google Chief Sustainability Officer, Kate Brandt, said on social media. “It’s artificial intelligence, but it’s bringing humanity closer to the natural world.”
The aquatic AI bot will utilize data collected from the Wild Dolphin Project — a science non-profit that has been studying the creatures since 1985.
Dolphin communication is among the most complex and difficult to understand in the global animal kingdom. They use an array of unique noises with distinctive accents depending on species and geography.
Aside from helping to break the language barrier between humans and cetaceans, artificial intelligence tools have become increasingly used for monitoring dolphin populations and enabling researchers to track their behaviour.
National Dolphin Day was implemented by the Earth Island Institute in 1990 to spread awareness about their endangerment, unethical hunting practices and threats from pollution.
There are more than 30 different species of the critters. They are broadly considered to be among the world’s most intelligent animals alongside other swimmers like orcas and the octopus.
This is not a joke! 🐬 Excited to share DolphinGemma the first audio-to-audio for dolphin communication! Yes, a model that predicts tokens on how dolphin speech! > DolphinGemma is the first LLM trained specifically to understand dolphin language patterns. > Leverages 40 years Show more
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