C1 Business English · AI and Innovation

The AI-Driven Race to Speak Whaleish

Scientists are using AI to decode the language of sperm whales, and millions of dollars are at stake. This C1 Business English lesson uses their story to build vocabulary for discussing data, innovation, progress and competition.

What business leaders can learn from the story

Project CETI’s progress shows what happens when AI meets a problem that was once too big to solve: huge amounts of data become patterns, and patterns become insight. For leaders, the lesson is that the advantage goes to organisations that collect the right data, test what they find against the real world, and stay focused on a long-term goal while others are still deciding whether to start.

AWarm up

Before starting the Business English lesson, discuss these with a partner or your teacher.

If you could have a conversation with any animal, which one would you choose, and what would you ask it?
How is AI changing the way your company collects and uses data? What has it made possible that wasn’t possible five years ago?

BRead the text

The AI-Driven Race to Speak Whaleish

to decode to work out the meaning of a code or signal
a coda a short pattern of clicks that sperm whales use to communicate
a dialect a form of a language used by one group or region

Charles Darwin, the most prominent evolutionary scientist of all time, believed that our ancestors may have learned to speak by copying the way birds sing. If he was right, human language began as something borrowed from another species. Now, thanks to rapid advances in AI technology, we may be on the brink of listening across the species barrier again, and this time the most promising voices are coming from the ocean.

Scientists around the world are now competing to understand what animals are saying, and there is serious money as well as scientific fame at stake. The Jeremy Coller Foundation, a charity focused on animal welfare, is offering a $10m investment to the first team that achieves real two-way communication with another species.

Research teams are studying everything from bird songs to marmoset monkeys, as well as whales and dolphins.

What has changed is the technology. AI models can now analyse millions of animal recordings and detect patterns that no human researcher could hear. Whales and dolphins are attracting the most attention because they pick up language by imitating others, and their sounds seem to follow rules and have a clear structure.

The best-known project is Project CETI (the Cetacean Translation Initiative), which is at the forefront of sperm whale translation. These whales “talk” in codas: short patterns of clicks, each one lasting around a millisecond. By training AI on thousands of these sequences, CETI researchers have found signs that whales belong to groups with their own dialects, use particular codas to address individuals, and take turns in conversation. The team has even pinpointed a click that may work like a punctuation mark.

The decoding process collects vast amounts of acoustic data using underwater microphones (hydrophones), often attached to drones and tagging devices that track whale movement. Once gathered, the data is fed into advanced machine learning algorithms, which sift through thousands of hours of clicks to find recurring patterns in structure. Clicks are also cross-referenced with observed whale behaviour, such as their movements, social situations, the presence of predators or food, and environmental changes, to guess at possible meanings or functions behind certain codas.

Alongside all the excitement, decoding whaleish may also open our eyes to the damage humans are doing to the whales’ world. Since the 1960s, shipping and mining have significantly increased background noise in the oceans. Near busy shipping lanes, whales often fall silent. Elsewhere, they change their dialects to cope with the noise, and they call out in distress near mining explosions.

Building on this potential new insight, CETI is determined to use its findings to influence marine protection policies and guide sustainable shipping in the oceans.

If we decode whale language, we could unlock the first true conversation between humans and another intelligent species—an evolutionary milestone. We might learn how whales pass on culture, coordinate activities across oceans, or even sense changes in the planet long before we do. Their vast deep-sea knowledge could even offer insight into improving ocean health. It is not only a translation, but a dialogue with another mind.

CKey words from context

Based on the context of the article, can you match the words in the box to the definitions listed below? Then add the word into the example sentence. You may need to change the form of the word to fit the meaning of the sentence.

Able to continue over a long period of time without causing damage, especially to the environment

“We need a more business model if we want to keep growing over the next decade.”
“Investors increasingly expect companies to adopt practices.”
An important stage or achievement in a process

“Reaching 10,000 customers was a major for the start-up.”
“Let’s set clear for each phase of the project.”
Well-known, important, or easily noticeable

“She’s a figure in the sustainability space—let’s invite her to speak.”
To carefully examine a large amount of information to find what’s relevant

“We need to these survey responses for useful insights.”
“I’ve been all the job applications in order to decide who we will invite for an interview.”
To learn or acquire a skill or knowledge, often informally or quickly

“He the basics of the new AI tool in just a few hours.”
“During the project, I some useful negotiation techniques from the senior team. I always new skills very quickly.”
To compare different sources of information for accuracy or clarity

“Let’s these results with last year’s data before drawing conclusions.”
“We need to our product list with the warehouse inventory.”
A clear, deep understanding of a situation or problem

“These poor sales figures have given us a valuable into what customers really want. We need to improve both the quality of our product as well as our sales process.”
“That bad customer review gave us real into the weaknesses of our after-sales service.”
Very close to a major change, often something critical or dramatic

“We’re of closing the biggest deal of the year.”
“The project was of failure until we restructured the team.”
At risk; able to be won or lost, depending on the result of a situation

“There are three candidates competing for the job, and a lot is for all of them.”
“In such a saturated market, our market share is every time a competitor launches a new product.”
To identify something exactly or precisely

“The feedback really helped us why the checkout process is so confusing.”
Happening again and again, often at regular intervals

“We want to reduce the number of complaints about late deliveries.”
“Moving to a subscription model would give us a reliable source of revenue.”
In a leading or most advanced position

“Our company is of green packaging innovation.”
“We’re now of AI-automated customer service.”

DComprehension

Can you answer the questions below about the text? Then compare your answer with the model answer.

What are 2 things that the winners of the Jeremy Coller Foundation challenge stand to gain?
Show model answer
- Money: a $10m investment.
- Scientific fame for achieving real two-way communication with another species.
According to the article, what key function of AI is allowing CETI to make such great progress in decoding whale language?

Show model answer
AI can analyse huge amounts of data. It sifts through thousands of hours of whale clicks and finds recurring patterns that no human researcher could hear.
According to the article, which species may use particular sounds to address individual members of its group?

Show model answer
Sperm whales. CETI researchers have found signs that they use particular codas to address individuals.
What are 4 potential linguistic phenomena of sperm whale language?
Show model answer
- Different groups have their own dialects.
- They use particular codas to address individuals.
- They take turns in conversation.
- One click may work like a punctuation mark.
In what way have whales changed their language in recent decades, and why?

Show model answer
Near busy shipping lanes they often fall silent, and elsewhere they change their dialects. This is because shipping and mining have significantly increased background noise in the oceans since the 1960s.
According to the article, in what ways can decoding whale language benefit our lives on this planet?
Show model answer
- It could help to influence marine protection policies and guide sustainable shipping.
- We might learn how whales pass on culture and coordinate activities across oceans.
- Whales may sense changes in the planet long before we do.
- Their deep-sea knowledge could offer insight into improving ocean health.

EKey words in a new context

Below you can find a paragraph. Can you fill in the gaps in the paragraph with the words from the box below?

Word box

on the brink
recurring
at stake
the forefront
to sift through
to cross-reference
insight
milestone
to pick up
to pinpoint

The Race to Integrate AI

It will come as no surprise to most of us that we are of a revolution with regard to AI. AI is able to vast quantities of data within seconds and spot patterns. It can draw on data from multiple sources and it. It is then capable of seeing connections within that data and even offering that support strategic decisions. The most successful companies will be the ones whose people can new AI tools quickly in order to increase productivity dramatically.

It is impossible to be at of any industry without utilising at least a moderate fraction of AI’s vast potential. With so much , companies are now racing to familiarise themselves with new AI-driven applications in order to get ahead. For some, this will be an important on the road to greater efficiency. For others, it may only be possible to the moment they fell behind their competition when it is too late.

Glossary

Key words from the article.

prominentwell-known, important, or easily noticeable
on the brink ofvery close to a major change, often something critical or dramatic
at stakeat risk; able to be won or lost, depending on the result of a situation
to pick upto learn or acquire a skill or knowledge, often informally or quickly
at the forefront ofin a leading or most advanced position
to pinpointto identify something exactly or precisely
to sift throughto carefully examine a large amount of information to find what’s relevant
recurringhappening again and again, often at regular intervals
to cross-referenceto compare different sources of information for accuracy or clarity
insighta clear, deep understanding of a situation or problem
sustainableable to continue over a long period of time without causing damage, especially to the environment
a milestonean important stage or achievement in a process