# Researchers use AI to study dolphin communication

> Denise Herzing’s team is using AI to find patterns in dolphin sounds, but researchers say understanding their meaning—and holding a conversation—remains a distant goal.

Oossa · 2026-11-05 · https://oossa.com/en/researchers-use-ai-to-study-dolphin-communication

Denise Herzing, founder of the Wild Dolphin Project, is working with Georgia Tech scientists and Google DeepMind to use AI to find patterns in decades of dolphin audio and video. The research has also informed experiments with an underwater computer that plays dolphin sounds associated with objects such as a scarf and sargassum seaweed.

Researchers observe how dolphins respond, but Herzing says they still need to distinguish mimicry from understanding. A two-way conversation is not yet possible, and the meaning of dolphin sounds within dolphin culture remains unclear.

## The facts

- Herzing began studying Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas in 1985.
- The team’s underwater computer can play dolphin sounds associated with items including a scarf and sargassum.

## Why it matters

For marine researchers, AI may help organize large collections of dolphin recordings, but the work has not yet shown what the sounds mean to dolphins.

## Sources & references

1. [AI’s Next Trick? Speaking Dolphin](https://www.wired.com/story/wired-world-fair-2026-denise-herzing-wild-dolphin/) – Wired, 2026-11-05

Last updated: 2026-11-05