Life and Art from FT Weekend
Tech Tonic presents: Can AI help us speak to animals? Part one
Nov 27, 2023
Discover how AI technologies and advanced microphones are enabling scientists to interpret and understand the communication of animals through infrasound and ultrasound. Explore the communication patterns and vocal clans of sperm whales and the possibility of using AI technology to decode their language. Learn about transformers in AI and how they treat everything as a language, allowing for translation and image generation. Explore the potential of AI in analyzing animal communication and the challenges and future prospects of synthetic animal communication. Discuss the limitations of human understanding and the potential of AI to communicate with whales using synthesized voices.
29:51
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- AI technology is being used to analyze animal sounds and communication patterns, offering the potential for translation of animal languages in the future.
- Researchers are utilizing AI algorithms to decode sperm whale communication, aiming to uncover deeper insights into their communication strategies and eliminate biases in data collection.
Deep dives
The Potential of AI in Understanding Animal Communication
Researchers are using AI technology to analyze the sounds and communication patterns of animals. By recording and analyzing these patterns, scientists hope to decipher the meanings and messages being conveyed. For example, marine biologist Shane Gero studies sperm whales and their unique clicking sounds called codas. Through AI analysis, researchers have discovered that sperm whales have dialects and use specific codas to communicate with one another. AI technology, such as transformers, can quantify and map the relationships between components of communication, allowing for potential translation of animal languages in the future.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
