Google’s AI Might Soon Let Us Chat With Dolphins, and That’s Just the Start

Google’s new AI model, DolphinGemma, aims to decode dolphin chatter, potentially opening up two-way communication between humans and dolphins, with implications for understanding other animals too.

Alright, buckle up, because we’re diving into something that sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie. Google, in cahoots with Georgia Tech and the Wild Dolphin Project, has rolled out something called DolphinGemma. This ain’t your average tech gimmick; it’s an AI model designed to understand and even mimic dolphin sounds. Yeah, you heard that right. We might finally get to have a proper chinwag with Flipper.

For decades, the Wild Dolphin Project has been eavesdropping on a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas, collecting every squeak and bubble they make. Now, all that data is being fed into DolphinGemma, which is based on Google’s Gemma models. It’s like autocomplete, but for dolphins. And the kicker? This slim model can run on a Google Pixel. Researchers are already taking it out for a spin this summer, using Pixel 9s in waterproof cases to listen in on dolphin convos in real time.

But here’s where it gets even wilder. They’re not just stopping at understanding dolphin speak. There’s this thing called CHAT (Cetacean Hearing Augmentation Telemetry) in the works. It’s basically a two-way comms system where humans can assign synthetic whistles to objects dolphins fancy, like seagrass or scarves, and see if the dolphins start using those sounds to ask for stuff. It’s like teaching a dolphin to text, but underwater.

Now, don’t go thinking we’re about to debate the meaning of life with a dolphin over a cup of tea. DolphinGemma is more about spotting patterns in their sounds than translating Shakespeare into dolphin. But it’s a big step forward. And it’s not just dolphins in the spotlight; similar tech is being used to decode pig emotions from their grunts. Though, let’s be honest, dolphins are the rock stars of the animal kingdom.

Google plans to open-source DolphinGemma later this year, so other researchers can take a crack at understanding their favorite animals. Who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll be able to ask a dolphin for directions. Just try not to drop your phone in the water.