Scientists use AI to decode sperm whale communication, discovering a possible phonetic alphabet and revealing that Mediterranean sperm whales have different dialects by region

• Sperm whales communicate by making clicksScientists using artificial intelligence (AI) have uncovered a complex communication system among sperm whales, identifying a kind of phonetic alphabet.
• The discovery comes as experts also found sperm whales living in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have developed a distinct regional dialect that separates them from populations living in the west.
• Together, the twin breakthroughs are shifting how biologists view non-human communication.