What if dolphins had their own version of WhatsApp? Google is getting serious about it: with its Pixel smartphones and an AI called DolphinGemma, the company is trying to decipher the language of cetaceans.
For 40 years, researchers at the Wild Dolphin Project have been recording the whistles and clicks of dolphins, with one dream in mind: to understand their language. Today, Google is giving them a high-tech boost. Thanks to With the AI DolphinGemma and Pixel smartphones, the company hopes to finally establish a dialogue with these marine mammals. A breakthrough that is as serious as it is fun, and could revolutionize our relationship with animals.
Dolphins, these underwater communication aces, use a variety of sounds: hunting clicks, identity whistles, or grunts during conflicts. The problem? Analyzing these exchanges requires years of work... unless an AI gets involved. This is where DolphinGemma comes in, an open-source language model designed by Google. Its role? Predict the next sound a dolphin will make, like ChatGPT guesses the rest of a sentence.
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Pixels transformed into underwater translators
To capture these exchanges, scientists use a tool called CHAT, based on a Pixel 6. This waterproof case records vocalizations, while DolphinGemma analyzes them in real time. How? By cutting the sounds into acoustic "tokens," using Google's SoundStream technology. The AI then identifies recurring patterns, such as "words" associated with objects or actions. The trick lies in optimizing the model for Pixel smartphones. With only 400 million parameters (compared to billions for Gemini), DolphinGemma works even without an internet connection. This is crucial in the open sea. This summer, the CHAT will move to the Pixel 9, which is capable of running multiple algorithms simultaneously. Objective: refine predictions and test synthetic sounds to interact with dolphins.
Google is banking on open source: starting this summer, DolphinGemma will be accessible to all researchers. Although trained on Atlantic spotted dolphins, the model could be adapted to other species. The firm is already imagining applications to protect cetaceans, for example by identifying distress signals.
It remains to be seen whether the dolphins will play along. For now, exchanges are limited to simple exercises ("touch that ball"), but the first videos show intrigued... and rather enthusiastic reactions.
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