Project CETI uses AI to decode sperm whale communication

Researchers are utilizing advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics to attempt to decode the acoustic communication of sperm whales. The Cetacean Translation Initiative (CETI), a non-profit scientific project established in 2020, is leading this effort.

Based in Dominica in the Caribbean, the project involves monitoring sperm whales, which can grow up to 18 or 19 meters in length and weigh up to 57 tons. Giovanni Petri, a professor from the Northeastern University London Institute of Network Science, is a key researcher in the initiative. The team employs a variety of technologies to collect data, including three boats, underwater microphones, and drones. These drones are used to attach small, non-invasive suction-cup devices equipped with GPS trackers and depth sensors to the whales to assist in the study.