‘Cry Wolf’: Scientists using AI to figure out what wolves are saying

NewsThis photo provided by the National Park Service shows a wolf in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Scientists believe that learning how "wolves speak" can lead to better conservation efforts. (Jacob W. Frank/National Park Service via AP, File)APBy Claudia Dimuro | cdimuro@pennlive.comWith all this talk of a pending apocalypse and constant slop, it’s easy to forget the genuinely monumental things artificial intelligence (AI) can do.Like decoding animal speech, for one.According to Mongabay, Montana resident Jeff Reed — a software engineer and citizen scientist who holds a Ph.D in linguistics — together with the Yellowstone Wolf Project launched what’s known as the Cry Wolf Project in the national park back in 2023. This project, its website explains, leverages AI to comb through thousands of hours of wolf vocalizations gathered by bioacoustic devices into the largest database of its kind. This has allowed Reed, via extensive analysis, to piece together distinct wolf calls that could indicate certain meanings or emotions. All of this is being done with one main goal in mind: To learn what wolves are “saying” — and why they even howl in the first place — in order to better understand them for the sake of better conservation efforts. Something which many view with the utmost importance, especially since the White House recently moved to roll back protections for gray wolves and Mexican wolves under the Endangered Species Act.“Many people in this field have a sneaking suspicion that animal communication is much more complex than we ever suspected,” Harvard University evolutionary neuroscientist Eric Hecht tells Mongabay. “Maybe partly because we just couldn’t analyze it, and probably also because we just don’t know what boxes to put into.“But where machine learning can outshine human minds is where it can pick up on patterns that we just don’t see. Our minds are built to process our vocal communication; they’re not built to process wolf vocal communication, or ape vocal communication, or bird vocal communication.” Reed even has a few ideas as to what certain wolf sounds mean already, The Spokesman-Review states: A “woah”-like sound, for example, could be the species’ way of proclaiming “I love you.” Howls, on the other hand, might be a way to get a pack to focus on something.“The basic meaning of the howl that I prefer is, ‘Here I am,’” Reed explained during a talk in Ketchum, Idaho, in February. “It’s kind of like yelling ‘Hey!’ to get someone’s attention. And wolves often do this to stay in contact with their pack mates.”Reed notes that this can be particularly important in order to avoid conflict with other packs. “So by yelling, like a political rally, you’re keeping your group together, and you’re speaking to other people, and you’re just letting them know with words, ‘Hey, we’re tougher than you,’ but that’s better than going to war,” Reed said. And wolves aren’t the only animals scientists are trying to understand: There’s also an attempt to translate whale language, too, NPR states. Researchers have thus far identified what they’re calling a “phonetic alphabet” for sperm whales. “This software I’ve written is going to have a global effect because people can download and use it,” Reed says to Mongabay.“And if I can get that ball rolling to where they are the storytellers on this communication thing, then the underlying premise becomes: If you can talk with a wolf, you identify with a wolf, you relate to a wolf, and maybe you don’t turn them into Little Red Riding Hood, right?” Reed adds. “If you get enough of those people, [listening], then you have an army of humans who can help with wolves.” T-mobile customers will have to pay monthly fee for iOS 27 featureTravel advisory: Visitors to Southeast Asian nation urged to ‘exercise increased caution’These 3 states have the most student debt: ‘Plan carefully’Claudia covers trending and breaking news stories across the United States. She previously worked as a digital reporter for PennLive.com, where she covered a range of topics from metal music to consumer news to...