There are a few animals that pretty much everyone likes: fluffy pandas, cute kittens and regal tigers. Dolphins would probably make the list for most folks; they’re intelligent, playful and have that permanent smile on their face. Watching them darting around in the water kind of makes you wonder: “What are those guys thinking?”

It’s a question many scientists have asked. But could we actually find out? And what if we could talk back?

Freelance ocean writer Melissa Hobson has been looking into a new project that’s making a splash—sorry!—in the media: what’s being billed as the first large language model, or LLM, for dolphin vocalizations.

Could this new tech make direct communication with dolphins a reality? Here’s Melissa to share what she’s learned.

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