Move over, Duolingo, there’s a new language learning app in town, and it’s not targeting Spanish or French, but dolphin. 🐬

In a plot twist that sounds like a sci-fi movie pitch, Google is partnering with the Wild Dolphin Project to crack the code of marine mammal communication using generative AI. Because apparently, teaching computers to understand human language wasn’t complicated enough.

From Clicks to Conversation

Researchers have long known dolphins are basically the nerds of the ocean. They can recognize themselves in mirrors, teach each other skills, and now might be on the brink of having their entire communication system decoded by tech nerds in Silicon Valley.

The project, dubbed “DolphinGemma,” uses Google’s open AI models to tokenize and analyze underwater recordings. Think of it like a super advanced Shazam, but instead of identifying songs, it’s trying to understand whether that series of clicks means “Hey buddy!” or “Back off!”

The AI Dolphin Whisperer

Denise Herzing from the Wild Dolphin Project admits they’re not entirely sure if dolphins have a “language” in the way humans understand it. But with decades of meticulously recorded dolphin chatter and Google’s AI magic, they’re getting closer to finding out.

The model, SoundStream, breaks down dolphin vocalizations into digestible chunks that AI can analyze. It’s like having a universal translator for marine life, which honestly sounds both incredibly cool and slightly terrifying.

Will we soon be sliding into dolphin DMs? Probably not. But we’re definitely one step closer to understanding our clicking, whistling ocean friends.