### Scientists Use AI to Decode Dolphin Communication, Winning $100K Prize
A team of researchers studying dolphin communication in Florida has won the inaugural $100,000 Coller Dolittle Challenge, an award recognizing breakthroughs in interspecies communication. Led by Laela Sayigh of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the team used hydrophones to record dolphin whistles, revealing that these sounds may function like words—shared among community members. One whistle type serves as an alarm, while another helps dolphins react to unfamiliar situations. The next step involves using AI to analyze these vocalizations for deeper patterns.
The challenge, backed by the Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University, also honored research on nightingales, marmoset monkeys, and cuttlefish. Judges emphasized the need for extensive datasets to decode animal communication, comparing it to the vast language models behind AI like ChatGPT. Jonathan Birch, a prize judge and professor at the London School of Economics, highlighted the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program’s 40-year whistle library as crucial for enabling AI-driven analysis.
### AI Revolutionizes Animal Communication Research
AI is transforming the study of animal communication, allowing scientists to process massive datasets that were previously unmanageable. Kate Zacarian, CEO of the Earth Species Project, noted that AI enables researchers to move beyond isolated signals, examining communication as a complex, dynamic system. Her nonprofit recently released **NatureLM audio**, an open-source AI model for analyzing animal sounds, with ongoing studies on orcas, crows, and even jumping spiders.
Zacarian praised Sayigh’s team for advancing interspecies research and predicted inevitable breakthroughs as AI accelerates discoveries. The technology not only speeds up analysis but also opens new avenues for understanding animal behavior. With more attention on AI’s role in this field, scientists hope to one day “crack the code” of dolphin language—and beyond. Submissions for next year’s Coller Dolittle Challenge open in August.
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