60-second Science

Dolphins have a broad vocabulary. They vocalize with whistles, clicks and “burst pulses.”This varied communication makes it challenging for scientists to decode dolphin speech. Artificial intelligence can help researchers process audio and find the slight patterns that human ears may not be able to identify. Reporter Melissa Hobson took a look at DolphinGemma, a large language model created by Google in collaboration with the Wild Dolphin Project and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The project seeks to unravel the clicks from the whistles and to understand what dolphins chat about under the waves.  Recommended reading: Read our article about DolphinGemma: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-ai-let-us-chat-with-dolphins/ Watch our video about the project: https://www.tiktok.com/@scientificamerican/video/7499862659072871723  Keep up with Hobson’s reporting:  http://www.melissahobson.co.uk/ Tell us what you think! Take our survey for the chance to win some SciAm swag! http://sciencequickly