Cracking the Code: Humans' Progress in Speaking Whale

Scientists are using machine-learning and language-translation algorithms to decode the calls of two whale species, orcas in the Pacific Northwest and sperm whales in the Caribbean, to better understand their communication. The research could aid in protecting the endangered species from human activities and enlarge our sense of what it means to share the planet with other intelligent beings. The projects depend on empathy as much as they do on artificial intelligence, and each could transform our relationship with whales in ways we can’t yet imagine.