The 2024 Annual report PROJECT CETI

Photo: Patrick Dykstra

Founder and president

Dr. David Gruber

Photo: Stu Rosner

Dear Friends,

This past year, I have often reflected on the departing words that Dr. Roger Payne, CETI’s principal advisor, colleague and close friend, shared just before he passed in June 2023:

“As my time runs out, I am possessed with the hope that humans worldwide are smart enough and adaptable enough to put the saving of other species where it belongs: at the top of the list of our most important jobs. I believe that science can help us survive our folly. Fifty years ago, people fell in love with the songs of humpback whales, and joined together to ignite a global conservation movement. It’s time for us to once again listen to the whales—and, this time, to do it with every bit of empathy and ingenuity we can muster so that we might possibly understand them.”

We formed CETI in March 2020 at a moment highlighting the vast intersections of the human and more-than-human worlds. And, in 2025, we continue into uncharted territory where we are having to confront both the positive and negative impacts that our technologies are creating. As we approach our five-year milestone, our mission and research feel more urgent than ever. We still firmly believe that by working together, across disciplines, with the mission of deeply understanding the language of nonhuman species, that it will bring us closer to the wonder of the world and life around us. We remain eternal optimists, that humans are capable of confronting any challenge, even fostering deeper connectivity across life on earth; and a collective desire and resolution to protect it.

We’re grateful to the magnificent sperm whales for sharing their knowledge and are excited to take you on a journey of our past year. In 2024, we made groundbreaking findings including that whales have a phonetic alphabet and are capable of social learning. We worked with the New York University School of Law’s “More Than Human Life” Project (MOTH) to build legal & ethical principles for nonhuman animal communication technologies. We deepened our ties with civil society in Dominica through new partnerships with youth education programs and artists across the island. We continued working closely with the National Geographic Society and have committed to deepening our blossoming partnership in the years ahead. We also adventured to reach beyond the scientific community by collaborating with artists, such as Joan Jonas, using creative and unconventional approaches that incorporate CETI’s research.

As we press forward, we are more inspired than ever by the possibility of uncovering the mysteries of the oceans and working together to protect the extraordinary species that call it home—because, in the end, when humans work together and are inspired and curious, anything is possible.

With thanks,

OUR Mission

Collaborative lifting of a baby sperm whale off the coast of Dominica

Photo: © Project CETI

We are on a mission to:

Photo: Jono Allen

ACHIEVE breakthroughs in decoding sperm whale communication
Share our learnings with the world
Transform human understanding & connectivity
Leverage our findings to protect our oceans and planet

Dive into the Science

We’ve created a one-of-a-kind large-scale sperm whale acoustic and behavioral dataset. This will be used to train CETI’s technology with the goal of translating whale-speak. The phases of this work include efforts to record the movements, sounds, and context of sperm whales, process the raw data, use advanced machine learning, linguistics, natural language processing, and train computers to learn and understand whale communication and validate our understanding via carefully designed validation studies.

A one-of-a-kind large-scale sperm whale acoustic and behavioral dataset.

Photo: Spencer Lowell

The Technology

The CETI Glider System that includes a whale recording unit (four hydrophones) and also has a custom “back-seat driver” capability that allows the glider to share information on whales and take new commands. This allows for specific whales, such as mothers and calf pairs, to be recorded for days, even if they travel for hundreds of kilometers.
The CETI Drone utilizes the whales’ echolocation clicks and the data collected via underwater acoustic sensors to guide the drone's flight patterns, giving the CETI field team the ability to tag the whales using drones without needing to get close with a boat.
Bio-inspired, hydrodynamic whale tags utilize gentle suction cups to enable up to 3-days of streamed data collection. CETI has created machine learning algorithms that allow the CETI team to place whale tags with minimal pressure when it is applied.

Pressure testing suction cup for Project CETI Whale Tag at Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory

Photo: Spencer Lowell

Robotics/Engineering

We are deploying state-of-the-art, gentle robotics, including aerial drones, whale tags with bioinspired suction cups, and underwater autonomous gliders with machine learning-based “backseat driving” capabilities that allow us to record the sound and movements of sperm whales.
Machine Learning

We analyzed new whale data, uncovering behavior patterns linked to their vocalizations, and uncovered a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet." Our interdisciplinary team is making significant progress in deciphering whale communication, with key publications in top journals like Nature Communications and NeurIPS Proceedings. We published nine papers in 2024, with seven more under peer review.
Linguistics

We've identified meaningful units of whale communication, tested for grammatical structures, and uncovered vowels and diphthongs in sperm whale sounds.
Field Operations

Our team continues to track, tag, and study sperm whales, maintaining CETI’s Core Whale Listening Stations and underwater sensors.

Programs & Partnerships

AT CETI, WE’RE COMMITTED TO RIGOROUS SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, BUT WE’RE ALSO COMMITTED TO ENSURING OUR FINDINGS REACH PEOPLE IN DOMINICA AND AROUND THE WORLD.

From our work with youth in Dominica to our arts partnerships and participating in events, this past year, we invited wide audiences into our work. We’re also committed to ensuring our work leads to protections for whales and other marine life and this year we also launched our first phase of policy work in partnership with the More Than Human Life (MOTH) initiative at New York University.

ARTS

Our Founder, Dr. David Gruber, collaborated with Joan Jonas, renowned mixed media artist, on a new piece in her MoMA retrospective, Joan Jonas: Good Night Good Morning. The piece, To Touch Sound, was a three screen video installation that highlights the magic of sperm whales and underwater sound.

Photo: Joan Jonas Studio

To celebrate World Ocean Day, CETI partnered with the New York City perfume house D.S. & Durga to create LET’S DIVE - a perfume that is a tribute to the sperm whales of Dominica. LET’S DIVE utilizes a sustainable, synthetic version of ambergris to bring the magic of the ocean to everyone. This collaboration represents CETI’s continued mission to share the story of the sperm whale with new audiences. With LET’S DIVE, we hope to bring humans one step closer to the sperm whale.

Photo: Chelsie Square

DOMINICA

Our 10-month Dominica Marine Conservation Fellowship training program for Dominican youth has graduated 12 Fellows to date; in the program Fellows learn about marine science, research techniques, water and vessel skills, storytelling, and leadership among other topics.

Photo: Kharlen Jervier © Project CETI

CETI partnered with the Ashley Lashley Foundation to bring the Eco-Fit Youth Program to 10 primary schools in Dominica, which educated children on how to practice healthy and eco-friendly lifestyles in collaboration with fitness trainers, CETI Marine Conservation Fellows, and Alumni.

Photo: Kharlen Jervier © Project CETI

In partnership with the Waitukubuli Artist Association, CETI hosted a competition inviting association members from across Dominica to create original illustrations inspired by CETI's work of translating sperm whale communication. The winning design by artist Jenae Bell and Zahrek Gonzalez-Peltier is now featured on a limited edition bag made of 100% recycled materials in support of our research. CETI and the association recently created a new large-scale mural in Roseau facing the bay front. The mural features the dream-like landscape of Dominica with an homage to the sperm whale in the foreground.

Photo: Zahrek Gonzalez-Peltier

POLICY

With New York University School of Law’s More Than Human Life (MOTH) Project we’re collaborating on the creation of a set of legal and ethical principles for nonhuman animal communication technologies as well as publishing a law review article in Ecology Law Quarterly on the burgeoning fields of artificial intelligence and bioacoustics and their potential to reshape nonhuman animal law.

Photo: Jake Olson

EVENTS

CETI and MOTH participated in the 32nd annual Animal Law Conference hosted by Lewis & Clark Law School and the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), bringing together students, practitioners, scholars, and activists to address wildlife issues. The panel “Translating the Language of Whales & Other Species: Legal, Ethical, and Policy Implications” was moderated by Hira Jaleel, of the Center for Animal Law Studies.

Photo: Melina De Bona

CETI co-hosted the Decoding Communication in Non-Human Species III workshop at UC Berkeley’s Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing. This workshop series is inspired by the Dartmouth Workshop of 1956, where the field of AI was formed. It has become a convening space for the growing community of researchers working in the field of AI and animal communication. Featured projects included Chiara Semenzin’s “(École Normale Supérieure) “Whistle variability and social acoustic interactions in bottlenose dolphins” and Gašper Beguš’ (UC Berkeley/CETI), “AI as a tool for discovery in animal communication.”

Photo: Michael Lees, Project CETI

For Climate Week in New York City, CETI participated in the Emerson Collective Climate Science Fair on the New York City High Line, joining innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase bold and optimistic climate ideas that are not just possible, but already making a difference.

Photo: Ashley Zafaranlou

In collaboration with Interspecies Library, CETI exhibited at Pioneer Works’ Press Play event, a weekend-long fair of books, records, art, ephemera, talks, and workshops from over 130 exhibitors in New York City.

Photo: David Gruber

The Big Interview showcased the people, platforms, technologies, and ideas that are shaping our shared future, including CETI’s state-of-the-art robotics and linguistic findings.

Photo: Marc Fiorito / Gamma Nine Photography

Our partner in scientific exploration the national geographic Society

Photo: © Project CETI

Collaboration In action

In collaboration with CETI, the National Geographic Society ensures CETI has the tools and resources needed to change the world for the better. From deploying new exploration technology to cultivating place-based storytelling, we are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and uncovering new insights about the natural world.

With the Society’s Impact Story Lab, we developed an invitation video for the Listen to the Whales campaign, a celebration of ocean exploration and awe-inspiring whales.
CETI was featured in National Geographic Magazine’s November 2024 issue, highlighting how we are using AI to decode the communication of whales.
Members of the Society’s Exploration Technology Lab came to Dominica for two weeks to train our CETI Fellows on how to use their custom-made Drop Cameras and to share deep-sea footage of Dominica with primary school students.
National Geographic Explorer and CETI Founder David Gruber engaged audiences through multiple platforms, including opening day two of National Geographic’s annual Explorers Festival, co-hosting a Reddit AMA to discuss marine biology and interspecies communication, and speaking virtually to 300 classrooms, reaching over 7,500 students in grades 3–8 as part of the Explorer Classroom Wildlife Series.

PRESS “ A big breakthrough in our understanding of how it is that whales communicate ” The Daily

December 10, 2024

Nature

AI decodes the calls of the wild

December 6, 2024

Open Global Rights

Listening to the more-than-human world: Legal & ethical principles for nonhuman animal communication technologies

The Robot Report

Project CETI uses AI and robotics to track down sperm whales

AI Is Translating Whale Language, the Bored panda

Which May Help Us Communicate With Extraterrestrials One Day

November 5, 2024

BCC Wildlife

Harvard scientists sent two flying robots on a mission – and they've just detected something

Oceanographic

Scientists use AI and robotics to learn sperm whale speak

November 1, 2024

Popular Science

New method for finding sperm whales kind of works like a rideshare app

October 26, 2024

The Harvard Crimson

Are Whales Trying to Tell Us Something?

October 15, 2024

National Geographic

What are animals saying? AI may help decode their languages

Sirene

Talk To Me

August 24, 2024

To the Best of our Knowledge

Searching for a Whale Alphabet

December 12, 2024

Parley

How would the world change if we could understand what sperm whales are saying?

December 10, 2024

Nature

AI decodes the calls of the wild

December 6, 2024

Open Global Rights

Listening to the more-than-human world: Legal & ethical principles for nonhuman animal communication technologies

The Robot Report

Project CETI uses AI and robotics to track down sperm whales

AI Is Translating Whale Language, the Bored panda

Which May Help Us Communicate With Extraterrestrials One Day

November 5, 2024

BCC Wildlife

Harvard scientists sent two flying robots on a mission – and they've just detected something

Oceanographic

Scientists use AI and robotics to learn sperm whale speak

November 1, 2024

Popular Science

New method for finding sperm whales kind of works like a rideshare app

October 26, 2024

The Harvard Crimson

Are Whales Trying to Tell Us Something?

October 15, 2024

National Geographic

What are animals saying? AI may help decode their languages

Sirene

Talk To Me

August 24, 2024

To the Best of our Knowledge

Searching for a Whale Alphabet

December 12, 2024

Parley

How would the world change if we could understand what sperm whales are saying?

July 31, 2024

BBC

Searching for a Whale Alphabet

June 26, 2024

Harvard Magazine

Decoding the Deep

June 13, 2024

Forbes

How D.S. & DURGA and Project CETI Created A Fragrance Inspired By Whale Communication

May 24, 2024

The New York Times, The Daily

Whales Have an Alphabet

May 7, 2024

AP News

Could a newly discovered sperm whale ‘alphabet’ be deciphered by humans?

May 7, 2024

AP News

Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort

April 14, 2024

The Robot Report

Project CETI develops robotics to make sperm whale tagging more humane

April 12, 2024

Reasons to be Cheerful

How Do You Say ‘Danger’ in Sperm Whale Clicks

April 3, 2024

MoMA Magazine

What Happens When a Marine Biologist and an Artist Work Together

February 24, 2024

The Atlantic

How First Contact with Whale Civilization Could Unfold

January, 2024

Financial Times

How AI is Decoding the Animal Kingdom

July 31, 2024

BBC

Searching for a Whale Alphabet

June 26, 2024

Harvard Magazine

Decoding the Deep

June 13, 2024

Forbes

How D.S. & DURGA and Project CETI Created A Fragrance Inspired By Whale Communication

May 24, 2024

The New York Times, The Daily

Whales Have an Alphabet

May 7, 2024

AP News

Could a newly discovered sperm whale ‘alphabet’ be deciphered by humans?

May 7, 2024

AP News

Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort

April 14, 2024

The Robot Report

Project CETI develops robotics to make sperm whale tagging more humane

April 12, 2024

Reasons to be Cheerful

How Do You Say ‘Danger’ in Sperm Whale Clicks

April 3, 2024

MoMA Magazine

What Happens When a Marine Biologist and an Artist Work Together

February 24, 2024

The Atlantic

How First Contact with Whale Civilization Could Unfold

January, 2024

Financial Times

How AI is Decoding the Animal Kingdom

Organization Team

CETI’s nonprofit team is based in the United States and Dominica and is responsible for the organization’s core mission and operations.

David Gruber

Founder and President & National Geographic Explorer & Distinguished Professor at the City University of New York
Stephon Camara

Programs and Research Associate
Fiona Korwin-Pawlowski

Chief Strategy Officer
Sabrina Peirce

Intern, Social Media
Peter Tyndale

Chief Financial Officer
Makeda Warner

Senior Program Manager, Dominica Conservation Fellowship Program
Ashley Zafaranlou

Director of Partnerships and Campaigns

Science Team

CETI’s science team is made up of world’s leading artificial intelligence and natural language processing experts, cryptographers, linguists, marine biologists, roboticists and underwater acousticians from a network of universities and other partners.

Photo: Ashley Zafaranlou

David Gruber

Founder and President & National Geographic Explorer
Dr. Yaniv Aluma

Research Station Manager, Project CETI
Dr. Jacob Andreas

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
Maor Assayag

MS Student, University of Haifa
Zethra Baron

Dominica Fisheries Liaison, Fisheries Division
Ricardo Barret

Skipper, Project CETI
Courtney Baumgartner

MS student, Carleton University
Dr. Gašper Beguš

Linguistics Team Lead, and Assistant Professor of Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Sushmita Bhattacharya

Postdoctoral Researcher, Harvard University
Henrique João Machado Borges

PhD Student, Network Science Institute of Northeastern University London
Dr. Michael Bronstein

Machine Learning Team Lead and DeepMind Professor of Artificial Intelligence Oxford of University
Alik Chebotar

Software Engineer, University of Haifa
Shlomi Dahan

Acoustic Engineer, University of Haifa
Oscar Davis

PhD Student, Oxford University
Hon. Jullan Defoe

CETI Liaison, Minister, Fisheries Division
Sarah de Haas

Program Manager, Google
Dr. Joseph DelPreto

Postdoctoral associate, MIT CSAIL
Raj Deshpande

PhD Student, Network Science Institute of Northeastern University London
Dr. Roberto Dessi

PhD Graduate, University Pompeu Fabra
Dr. Roee Diamant

Underwater Acoustics Team Lead, Associate Professor, University of Haifa
Matthew Garcia

Mechatronics Engineer, Harvard
Kevin George

Skipper, Project CETI
Dr. Shane Gero

Biology Team Lead, Dominica Sperm Whale Project & National Geographic Explorer
Darren Gibbons

IT Specialist, Project CETI
Dean Gibbons

IT Specialist and Software Engineer, Project CETI
Dr. Stephanie Gil

Robotics Team Lead, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University
Dr. Shafi Goldwasser

Theoretical Analysis Team Lead, Director, Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, University of California, Berkeley
Zahrek Gonzalez-Peltier

Drone Specialist, Project CETI
Guy Gubnitsky

PhD Student, University of Haifa
Odel Harve

Marine Operations Specialist, Project CETI
Dr. Alyssa Hernandez

Postdoctoral associate, Harvard University
Mapal Ishay

MS Student, University of Haifa
Ninad Jadhav

PhD Student, Harvard University
Dr. Adam Tauman Kalai

Senior Principal Researcher, OpenAI
Dr. Byungchul Kim

Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT CSAIL
Jason Lee

MS Student, MIT CSAIL
António Leitão

PhD Student, CENTAI
Dr. Leigh Livne

Project Coordinator, University of Haifa
Dr. Maxime Lucas

Postdoctoral Researcher, CENTAI
Dr. Alaa Maalouf

Postdoctoral Researcher, MIT CSAIL
Yaly Mevorach

PhD Student, University of Haifa
Itamar Merfeld

PhD student, University of Haifa
Dr. Corrado Monti

Senior CS Researcher, CENTAI
Dr. Antonio Noreilli

Postdoctoral Researcher, Oxford
Orr Paradise

PhD Student, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Giovanni Petri

Principal Researcher, CENTAI
Simone Poetto

PhD Student, CENTAI
Emanuele Rossi

PhD Student, Imperial College London
Dr. Daniela Rus

CETI’s Robotics and Machine Learning Teams, Director of MIT’s CSAIL
Dr. Michael Salino-Hugg

Electrical Engineer, Harvard University
Dr. Andrea Santoro

Postdoctoral Researcher, CENTAI
Dr. Pratyusha Sharma

PhD Graduate, MIT CSAIL
Justin Siriska

Mechanical Engineer, Harvard University
Ronald Sprouse

Researcher, UC Berkeley
Dr. Dan Tchernov

Lead, University of Haifa
Dr. Pernille Tønnesen

Postdoctoral Associate, Aarhus University
Dr. Antonio Torralba

Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT
Daniel Vogt

Harvard University
Dr. Robert Wood

Robotics Team Lead, Harvard University & National Geographic Explorer

Project CETI Dominica MARINE Conservation Fellows

CETI’s Dominica Marine Conservation Fellowship program is designed for young people in Dominica to engage in CETI’s research, a variety of programming and mentorship opportunities and receive diving certification. After they graduate from the program, fellows remain involved as mentors, session facilitators and community leaders.