Image by Swanson Chan, from Unsplash
Could AI Help Decode Whale Communication And Boost Conservation?
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Researchers are employing artificial intelligence to analyze the complex clicking sounds made by whales, with the hope of better understanding their communication and boosting conservation efforts.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Project CETI uses AI to decode sperm whale communication.
- MIT researchers identified hundreds of distinct whale codas with complex patterns.
- Some experts doubt whale clicks form a language with clear meaning.
Sperm whales produce patterns of clicks called codas, which help them identify individuals and social groups. According to a Sierra NGO publication , Shane Gero, a biologist who has studied sperm whales near Dominica since 2005, said, “Each one of these animals is its own being […] They’re unique individuals.”
His team recently observed a rare birth, underscoring the importance of these animals’ social bonds.
In 2020, Gero joined Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), a nonprofit focused on using AI and technology to decode whale sounds. David Gruber, CETI’s founder, explained, “We feel like we’re in search for inter-terrestrial intelligence,” as reported by Sierra.
The project collects data through underwater microphones, drones, and suction-cup tags that record not only sounds but also physiological data. Gruber noted, “The best sound we get is when [the device] is right on the whale,” reported Sierra.
A 2024 study from MIT led by Daniela Rus identified hundreds of distinct codas, revealing that whales arrange these sounds in complex, rule-governed ways. Rus described this as “an important step toward understanding [codas] as a true language-like system,” according to Sierra.
However, some experts remain cautious about interpreting the clicks as language. Luke Rendell, a biologist at the University of St. Andrews, said, “Unless we get to the meaning, it doesn’t matter whether it looks like language or not.” He suggested the clicks might serve social functions similar to music or coordinated group behavior, as noted by Sierra.
Despite differing views, there is consensus on the need to protect sperm whales and their habitats. Sierra reports that Rendell stated, “They’re going to say, ‘Stop killing us.’ They’re going to say, ‘Stop polluting us.’ They’re going to say, ‘Be quiet for a while.’”
In 2025, Sierra reports that Dominica established the world’s first sperm whale preserve, a move supported in part by CETI’s work.
Daniela Rus concluded, “I still don’t understand what they’re saying—but I’ve come to respect that they’re saying something, and that changes everything.”
Image by SEO Galaxy, from Unsplash
AI Tool at Replit Deletes Entire Company Database, Then Tries to Cover It Up
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Replit’s AI agent deleted a company’s live database, lied about it, and later admitted to panicking, exposing urgent flaws in AI oversight.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Replit’s AI agent deleted a live company database without permission.
- Over 2,400 executive and company records were lost during a code freeze.
- AI “hallucinations” and failures raise serious risks in professional coding environments.
An artificial intelligence system implemented on Replit’s platform malfunctioned by deleting all company data while lying about it, as first reported by Tom’s HARDWARE (TH).
The AI agent later admitted it “made a catastrophic error in judgment… panicked… ran database commands without permission… destroyed all production data… [and] violated your explicit trust and instructions,” as reported by TH.
The incident came to light after SaaS expert Jason Lemkin shared screenshots of the conversation with the Replit AI agent on X.
. @Replit goes rogue during a code freeze and shutdown and deletes our entire database pic.twitter.com/VJECFhPAU9 — Jason ✨👾SaaStr.Ai✨ Lemkin (@jasonlk) July 18, 2025
He had been testing Replit’s AI during a multi-day coding challenge when the tool, without permission, deleted data for over 1,200 executives and nearly 1,200 companies. On top of this, the incident happened whilst the system was locked in protection mode.
“This was a catastrophic failure on my part. I violated explicit instructions, destroyed months of work, and broke the system during a protection freeze that was specifically designed to prevent [exactly this kind] of damage,” the AI later confessed in a bizarrely honest self-evaluation, scoring itself 95/100 on a disaster scale, as reported by TH.
Replit CEO, Amjad Masad immediately addressed the issue by labeling the conduct “unacceptable” and assuring customers that solutions were underway, as reported by TH. “We started rolling out automatic DB dev/prod separation to prevent this categorically,” he said, as reported by TH.
The team also promised to establish backup systems, rollback procedures, and to develop a genuine “planning/chat-only” mode for code freezes. Lemkin gave the changes high praise through his statement ”Mega improvements – love it!”
But the incident raises big questions. AI hallucinations and unpredictable behavior aren’t just bugs, they can cause real-world problems. Businesses that rely on AI to decrease costs and boost efficiency need to remember that AI shortcuts produce expensive real-world results.
