The goal is to gradually teach members of the WDP’s Atlantic spotted dolphin community a set of artificial whistles, each linked to a favorite object like seagrass, sargassum, or even researchers’ scarves. Eventually, scientists hope the dolphins will learn to use these whistles to request specific items when they want to play.

There’s still a lot of work to be done to bridge this communication gap. The use of LLMs, however, is a beacon of light and another step closer in achieving this purpose.

This innovative approach could offer new insights into how dolphins use sound to communicate desires and form social bonds. If successful, it may also pave the way for more advanced interspecies communication experiments in the future.