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Animals are communicating — but what are they saying? And can we talk back? Marine biologist David Gruber introduces Project CETI: a team of scientists, linguists and AI specialists hoping to decode sperm whale language. Using noninvasive robots and a machine-learning algorithm to collect and analyze millions of sperm whale vocalizations known as coda, the team aims to demystify the communication structures and dialects of these majestic creatures — and possibly even crack the interspecies communication code. (This ambitious plan is a part of the Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire and fund global change.)

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Can we learn to talk to sperm whales? | David Gruber