AI's Discovery _ The Sperm Whale's Secret 'Codas'

I recently watched Secrets of the Whales, a documentary by James Cameron, on Disney+. In the first episode, an orca showed a nice gesture to share its prey, a stingray, with a diver. When the diver didn't eat it, the orca curiously watched before swimming away with its meal. Whales are truly fascinating creatures! This sparked my interest in learning more about the ongoing research into whale communication, specifically how AI is helping to decode their complex language.

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Whale Language and AI Research: New Discoveries

Scientists are making breakthroughs in decoding whale language, thanks to advancements in AI. One exciting study involves the "sound alphabet" of sperm whales (향유고래). Researchers from Project CETI and MIT’s CSAIL have been using AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze these patterns, finding that they resemble human speech in complexity.

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Background of the Research and AI’s Role

From 2005 to 2018, researchers recorded more than 400 sperm whales in the Eastern Caribbean. Using AI, they discovered that whale sounds, known as codas (코다), are not just clicks but complex sound patterns. Each coda is composed of 3 to 40 clicks, with distinct rhythms, tempos, and ornamentations. These could potentially carry specific meanings, much like human words. AI is crucial for analyzing and predicting the structure of these sounds, giving scientists new insights into whale communication.

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Can AI Communicate with Whales?

Although AI isn’t yet capable of fully communicating with sperm whales, it has made significant progress in understanding their vocal patterns. AI analyzes sound patterns and attempts to link them with specific whale behaviors and contexts. For example, it tries to predict which codas correspond to specific actions. While we haven’t achieved full communication, this research marks an essential step toward understanding how whales interact.

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Challenges and Future Possibilities

Decoding whale communication is no small feat. Whales communicate in ways vastly different from humans, and fully understanding their system will take time. However, with the continued development of AI, we may one day bridge this gap, opening new possibilities for human-whale interaction.

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The Importance of This Research

This research reveals that whales’ communication systems are as complex as human languages. It underscores their intelligence and suggests that whales have intricate social structures and behaviors. Such discoveries are crucial for future marine conservation (해양 보존) efforts, as they highlight the need to protect these highly intelligent creatures.

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Social Bonds and Cooperation Among Whales

Whales are not solitary creatures; they live in strong social groups and demonstrate remarkable cooperation. Orcas (범고래) and sperm whales, for example, live in family units, teaching their young how to hunt and survive. These social behaviors are supported by their communication systems, where each pod uses unique sound patterns. This suggests that orcas pass down cultural knowledge much like humans, forming a rich, dynamic culture.

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Learning and Cultural Transmission

Whales adapt their behaviors depending on their environment, and these learned behaviors are passed from one generation to the next. This cultural transmission (문화적 전승) is strikingly similar to how human societies pass down traditions. In some regions, whales use specific hunting techniques unique to their pod, illustrating that whales, like humans, have culturally diverse ways of living.

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Human-Whale Interactions

Whales also demonstrate unique interactions with humans. In Secrets of the Whales, a remarkable scene shows an orca offering food to a diver, hinting at the possibility of emotional recognition and interaction beyond instinct. Similarly, James Cameron’s film Avatar: The Way of Water explores these themes, portraying a species that shares a deep, communicative bond with the fictional Metkayina people. This connection draws inspiration from our growing understanding of whale intelligence.

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Dolphin-Human Bonds

Dolphins, too, share extraordinary interactions with humans. There have been documented cases, such as in Florida Keys, where dolphins have saved drowning swimmers. These behaviors suggest that dolphins possess a unique understanding of humans, showcasing their ability to form strong social bonds even across species.

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A Message for Coexistence

Whales are intelligent, social beings that play a vital role in marine ecosystems. Through films like Secrets of the Whales and research efforts powered by AI, we gain a deeper understanding of these remarkable creatures. Such knowledge emphasizes the importance of protecting whales and ensuring they continue to thrive in their natural habitats. The potential for human-whale interaction, made possible by AI and scientific research, offers a future where we can communicate and coexist with whales in meaningful ways.

These discoveries give us a new perspective on nature and the profound connections we share with other intelligent life on our planet.

 

• prey - 먹이
• stingray - 가오리
• machine learning algorithm - 머신러닝 알고리즘
• rhythm - 리듬
• ornamentation - 장식음
• pod - (고래)무리, 군집
• emotional recognition - 감정 인식
• Metkayina - 메투케이나 (영화 '아바타: 물의 길'의 종족)
• ecosystem - 생태계
• coexistence - 공존
• breakthrough - 돌파구, 획기적 발견
• decoding - 해독
• family unit - 가족 단위
• natural habitat - 자연 서식지
• marine ecosystem - 해양 생태계
• drowning - 익사
• emotional bond - 감정적 유대
• cultural diversity - 문화적 다양성

 

AI가 밝혀낸 향유고래의 '음성 알파벳' - BBC News 코리아

AI가 밝혀낸 향유고래의 '음성 알파벳' - BBC News 코리아