Field NotesWhat we're learning about AI and the environment

A learning from Project CETI: finding structure in sperm whale clicks, Project CETI, Dominica Sperm Whale Project, MIT CSAIL

Surprise

Whale codas turned out to combine features, but what they mean is still unknown

⚠ Not yet claimed by the project owner or their organization. This information may not be completely accurate.

From public sources: the team expected to find a fixed set of click patterns. Instead, whales combine rhythm, tempo, small timing shifts and extra clicks into many variations that depend on the conversation. The authors stress that this shows structure, not meaning: what most codas communicate is still unknown, and they plan field work to test it.

Track
AI for the environment
Environmental problem
OceansBiodiversity and species
Environmental goal
Understand and monitor
Setting
Ocean
AI's role
Core
What the AI does
Recognizing soundsFinding patterns
Scale
Regional or government

Shared 28 Oct 2026 by Field Notes curator (public sources).

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