Whales are some of the most amazing creatures on the planet and some species are endangered. Google are helping fight the good fight and lending some of their AI smarts to help scientists track and study the remaining whales.
Back in the 1960s, scientists first discovered that humpback whales actually sing songs, which evolve over time. But there’s still so much we don’t understand. Why do humpbacks sing? What is the meaning of the patterns within their songs?
Scientists sift through an ocean of sound to find answers to these questions. But what if anyone could help make discoveries?
For the past year, Google AI has been partnering with NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center to train an artificial intelligence model on their vast collection of underwater recordings. This project is helping scientists better understand whales’ behavioural and migratory patterns, so scientists can better protect whales.
The effort fits into Google’s AI for Social Good program, applying the latest in machine learning to the world’s biggest humanitarian and environmental challenges.
Go take a listen and enjoy the neat visualisation of whale sounds at https://patternradio.withgoogle.com/
