From 9am -11am on March 27, David Gruber, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences at the City University of New York and a National Geographic Explorer, will present an online seminar exploring the intersections of marine science, artificial intelligence, and interspecies communication. His work examines how emerging technologies are influencing the ways we understand nonhuman intelligence and reconsider how humans listen to and engage with other species.

As Founder and President of Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), Gruber leads a large-scale research collaboration applying advanced machine learning, robotics, and acoustic science to interpret the communication of sperm whales. This ambitious initiative brings together marine biologists, AI researchers, engineers, and linguists to investigate whether aspects of whale communication can be decoded and meaningfully understood.

Focusing on the theme of interspecies communication and technological mediation, this seminar examines how scientific innovation may transform the ways humans listen to, interpret, and relate to other species. Gruber’s research engages complex systems science, environmental humanities, and art–science collaboration, raising important questions about translation, agency, and the ethics of communicating across species boundaries. What does it mean to “understand” another species? How might AI alter our perception of intelligence? And how could these developments support biodiversity conservation and ecological awareness?

This presentation marks the final event in Resonant Ecologies, hosted by Professor Liza Lim through her ARC Laureate Program Resonant Earth: Music, Ecology and Climate Justice. This event is supported by the Sydney Environment Institute.