In the movie, Doctor Dolittle converses with a variety of animals, including dogs, ducks, giraffes, and gorillas. It’s not just about guessing their intentions based on their behavior; they communicate verbally. There are scientists who are making feats that seem to belong to the realm of movies a reality.
On the 15th, at local time, Dr. Laela Sayigh’s research team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was selected as the first laureate of the “Coller Dolittle Challenge.” This competition, co-hosted by the Jeremy Coller Foundation in the United Kingdom and Tel Aviv University in Israel, will award research contributions that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate communication between humans and animals starting this year.
The goal of the competition is to understand the communication methods of animals so that humans can converse with them in the same way. Yossi Yovel, a professor at Tel Aviv University and the scientific committee chair, noted, “The ultimate goal is bidirectional communication between humans and animals using their own signals.” Achieving this will secure an investment of either $500,000 (approximately 650 million won) or $10 million (1.39 billion won).
◇Decoding the whistle conversations of dolphins
Even if they do not meet the criteria for the award, an annual prize of $100,000 will be given for research that advances the study of animal communication. This year’s first laureate, the research team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, used AI to analyze the whistle sounds produced by bottlenose dolphins (scientific name Tursiops truncatus) and distinguished over 20 meanings.
The research team announced last month that they had identified 22 sounds unrelated to identification by analyzing whistle sounds from 170 bottlenose dolphins living in Sarasota Bay, Florida, using AI. For example, when they heard a certain whistle sound, they interpreted it as a warning to stay away.
Dolphins are known to produce whistle sounds that distinguish themselves or their counterparts. This is referred to as a “signature whistle.” In other words, it’s akin to calling each other’s names. They were uncertain about the meaning of the rest. The research team revealed plans to expand this vocabulary list by implementing AI classification methods.
Earlier, the research team also analyzed the unique whistles used by mother dolphins when calling their calves. From 1984 to 2018, they recorded the sounds of whistles when 19 female bottlenose dolphins swam with their calves, either alone or with other adult dolphins, using suction microphones.
Humans often raise their voice tones or create sounds mixed with lisps or nasal tones when talking to infants. The Woods Hole research team announced in 2023 that bottlenose dolphins also produce whistles that are higher in pitch and have a wider range when communicating with their calves.
◇Analysis of nightingale songs and cuttlefish sign language
This year’s finals featured three other teams. One of these teams discovered that two species of cuttlefish communicate with each other using a form of sign language. Dr. Peter Neri’s research team from the École Normale Supérieure in France differentiated four sign signals that cuttlefish use with their arms through AI analysis.
The cuttlefish responded by waving its arms in response to seeing a video of its counterpart signaling. When scientists played the sounds produced when Cuttlefish waved their arms, they also responded with the same movement.
Professor Neri noted on the 15th in Science that “cuttlefish are the closest extraterrestrial beings we can encounter,” adding, “Despite being invertebrates, their behavior is very complex, and their ability to detect water vibrations is remarkably similar to our auditory system.”
The Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence in Germany published results last month in bioRxiv, showing that they used AI to analyze the sounds of the nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) and break them down into syllables, analyzing the structure and grammar of their songs. Their goal is also to decode the meaning of these songs and communicate with the birds in their “language.”
The fourth team is led by Professor David Omer from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. They announced last year in Science that common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) call each other by name. Previously, it was observed that animals called each other by name only in humans, dolphins, and elephants.
◇Research on decoding farm animal sounds is also advancing
If humans can communicate with animals and their languages, it could significantly aid in protecting them. The sperm whale research is a prime example. Sperm whales can grow up to 24 meters long and weigh as much as 74 tons. They are heavily hunted for a valuable scent called ambergris, which is formed from materials accumulated in their bodies, leading to their endangered status. Many also die from collisions with ships or entanglement.
Scientists have established protection measures by determining the locations and directions of sperm whales through song. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) announced last year in the journal Nature Communications that they discovered a kind of alphabet that plays a basic role when sperm whales sing.
Research on interpreting the sounds of livestock is also thriving. The livestock industry can benefit from animal interpreting research, as knowing whether animals are comfortable or uncomfortable and addressing issues can enhance productivity.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark announced in 2022 in the journal Scientific Reports that they developed technology to analyze pig sounds using artificial intelligence to read emotional states with 92% accuracy.
The research team analyzed 7,414 recorded files from 411 pigs from birth to death using AI. Although it was commonly said that pigs always grunt, this was not true. They grunted softly when full, but emitted high-pitched squeals when stressed.
Recently, AI has gone beyond interpreting the meanings of animal sounds to deciphering emotions captured in their expressions. The day may soon come when we progress beyond Doctor Dolittle’s conversations with animals to a deeper level of understanding.
References
bioRxiv(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.21.647658
bioRxiv(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.13.648584
bioRxiv(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.12.648496
Science(2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp3757
Nature Communications(2024), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47221-8
PNAS(2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2300262120
Scientific Reports(2022), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07174-8