Gasper Begus
@begus.bsky.social
Assoc. Professor at UC Berkeley
Artificial and biological intelligence and language
Linguistics Lead at Project CETI 🐳
PI Berkeley Biological and Artificial Language Lab 🗣️
College Principal of Bowles Hall 🏰
https://www.gasperbegus.com
Artificial and biological intelligence and language
Linguistics Lead at Project CETI 🐳
PI Berkeley Biological and Artificial Language Lab 🗣️
College Principal of Bowles Hall 🏰
https://www.gasperbegus.com
Reposted by Gasper Begus
– We showed that recursion and metalinguistic analysis, long assumed to be uniquely human, can now be carried out by LLMs
– We built tools that let models analyze and generate language itself, including entirely new languages
– We built tools that let models analyze and generate language itself, including entirely new languages
December 31, 2025 at 5:49 PM
– We showed that recursion and metalinguistic analysis, long assumed to be uniquely human, can now be carried out by LLMs
– We built tools that let models analyze and generate language itself, including entirely new languages
– We built tools that let models analyze and generate language itself, including entirely new languages
We had a whale of a year. 🐋
This year we continued researching what counts as language and intelligence -- in humans, animals, and machines.
A few highlights:
– We uncovered vowels and diphthongs in sperm whales, with consequences that reach all the way to law and animal rights
This year we continued researching what counts as language and intelligence -- in humans, animals, and machines.
A few highlights:
– We uncovered vowels and diphthongs in sperm whales, with consequences that reach all the way to law and animal rights
December 31, 2025 at 5:49 PM
We had a whale of a year. 🐋
This year we continued researching what counts as language and intelligence -- in humans, animals, and machines.
A few highlights:
– We uncovered vowels and diphthongs in sperm whales, with consequences that reach all the way to law and animal rights
This year we continued researching what counts as language and intelligence -- in humans, animals, and machines.
A few highlights:
– We uncovered vowels and diphthongs in sperm whales, with consequences that reach all the way to law and animal rights
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Great work by Gasper Begus and team. AI helping us to understand our world in new ways… hat tip National Geographic…✨🐳✨😊✨
Thank you National Geographic and @chameauleon.bsky.social for featuring our research! By: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva and Shane Gero.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...
Exclusive: Sperm whale speech has human-like 'vowels'
The mammals' mysterious clicks contain a stunning level of complexity, a new study shows.
www.nationalgeographic.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Great work by Gasper Begus and team. AI helping us to understand our world in new ways… hat tip National Geographic…✨🐳✨😊✨
Reposted by Gasper Begus
🐋 Sperm whales communicate in ways similar to humans according to a new study from UC Berkeley and Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) by Linguistics Professor Gašper Beguš.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3KbEMiN
#Linguistics #Research #Impact
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3KbEMiN
#Linguistics #Research #Impact
November 19, 2025 at 9:10 PM
🐋 Sperm whales communicate in ways similar to humans according to a new study from UC Berkeley and Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) by Linguistics Professor Gašper Beguš.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3KbEMiN
#Linguistics #Research #Impact
Read more here: https://bit.ly/3KbEMiN
#Linguistics #Research #Impact
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Recently, Gašper Beguš and his team put several large language models through a litany of tests — including having them generalize the rules of a made-up language. Most failed to match human linguistic ability. But one LLM greatly exceeded expectations. www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
November 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Recently, Gašper Beguš and his team put several large language models through a litany of tests — including having them generalize the rules of a made-up language. Most failed to match human linguistic ability. But one LLM greatly exceeded expectations. www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
And recent research found that sperm whales communication systems (language?) has the equivalent of vowels!
www.popsci.com/environment/...
www.popsci.com/environment/...
Sperm whales use vowels like humans, new study finds
Scientists decoding whale clicks found patterns that echo the building blocks of human speech.
www.popsci.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:15 AM
And recent research found that sperm whales communication systems (language?) has the equivalent of vowels!
www.popsci.com/environment/...
www.popsci.com/environment/...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
"My team and I have been able to discern that sperm whales have their own alphabet and that this alphabet seems to be pillared by their own version of vowels. I’ve learned that humans are far from the only species intelligent and complex enough to develop a form of language and culture."
Mind-blowingly cool use of AI
“Altogether, these findings are leading us to an extraordinary conclusion: Whales may possess a communication system more intricate than our own, one that possibly predates human language by tens of millions of years.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
“Altogether, these findings are leading us to an extraordinary conclusion: Whales may possess a communication system more intricate than our own, one that possibly predates human language by tens of millions of years.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | I’m a Marine Biologist. This Is How I Talk to Whales.
www.nytimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:58 AM
"My team and I have been able to discern that sperm whales have their own alphabet and that this alphabet seems to be pillared by their own version of vowels. I’ve learned that humans are far from the only species intelligent and complex enough to develop a form of language and culture."
Reposted by Gasper Begus
1️⃣3️⃣ Credit: Gašper Beguš, Ronald L. Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva, Shane Gero; Vowel- and Diphthong-Like Spectral Patterns in Sperm Whale Codas. Open Mind 2025; 9 1849–1874. doi: doi.org/10.1162/OPMI...
Vowel- and Diphthong-Like Spectral Patterns in Sperm Whale Codas
Abstract. The sperm whale communication system, consisting of groups of clicks called codas, has been primarily analyzed in terms of the number of clicks and their inter-click timing. This paper repor...
doi.org
November 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
1️⃣3️⃣ Credit: Gašper Beguš, Ronald L. Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva, Shane Gero; Vowel- and Diphthong-Like Spectral Patterns in Sperm Whale Codas. Open Mind 2025; 9 1849–1874. doi: doi.org/10.1162/OPMI...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
All books are 50% off until January 4 at the press website, which makes for less than $10 for First Encounters with AI. Ships in October 2026
press.umich.edu/Books/F/Firs...
press.umich.edu/Books/F/Firs...
December 27, 2025 at 1:37 PM
All books are 50% off until January 4 at the press website, which makes for less than $10 for First Encounters with AI. Ships in October 2026
press.umich.edu/Books/F/Firs...
press.umich.edu/Books/F/Firs...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Sperm Whale Clicks May Be More Complex Than Once Thought, and Similar to Human Language todayheadline
A new study on sperm whale communication reveals that these animals produce sounds like human vowels. The research, published in the journal Open Mind, was part of Project CETI (Cetacean…
A new study on sperm whale communication reveals that these animals produce sounds like human vowels. The research, published in the journal Open Mind, was part of Project CETI (Cetacean…
Sperm Whale Clicks May Be More Complex Than Once Thought, and Similar to Human Language todayheadline
A new study on sperm whale communication reveals that these animals produce sounds like human vowels. The research, published in the journal Open Mind, was part of Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), an ongoing effort to listen to and translate sperm whale communication. Whales communicate with groups of clicks, called codas. To human ears, whale communication sounds like an eerie alien language, a series of very slow clicks.
todayheadline.co
December 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Sperm Whale Clicks May Be More Complex Than Once Thought, and Similar to Human Language todayheadline
A new study on sperm whale communication reveals that these animals produce sounds like human vowels. The research, published in the journal Open Mind, was part of Project CETI (Cetacean…
A new study on sperm whale communication reveals that these animals produce sounds like human vowels. The research, published in the journal Open Mind, was part of Project CETI (Cetacean…
Reposted by Gasper Begus
3️⃣Using a new type of acoustic visualization, researchers discovered that sperm whale clicks have spectral properties similar to the formants of human vowels —
the very frequencies that make “ah” different from “ee.” 🎙️➡️🐋
the very frequencies that make “ah” different from “ee.” 🎙️➡️🐋
November 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
3️⃣Using a new type of acoustic visualization, researchers discovered that sperm whale clicks have spectral properties similar to the formants of human vowels —
the very frequencies that make “ah” different from “ee.” 🎙️➡️🐋
the very frequencies that make “ah” different from “ee.” 🎙️➡️🐋
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Simultaneously awesome and so frustrating.
This research used machine learning to identify previously undetected significant markers in sperm whale communication, acoustically analogous to human vowels. In essence, the researchers learned to hear the difference between "make" and "mike".
BUT 😮💨
This research used machine learning to identify previously undetected significant markers in sperm whale communication, acoustically analogous to human vowels. In essence, the researchers learned to hear the difference between "make" and "mike".
BUT 😮💨
Opinion | I’m a Marine Biologist. This Is How I Talk to Whales.
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Simultaneously awesome and so frustrating.
This research used machine learning to identify previously undetected significant markers in sperm whale communication, acoustically analogous to human vowels. In essence, the researchers learned to hear the difference between "make" and "mike".
BUT 😮💨
This research used machine learning to identify previously undetected significant markers in sperm whale communication, acoustically analogous to human vowels. In essence, the researchers learned to hear the difference between "make" and "mike".
BUT 😮💨
Reposted by Gasper Begus
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
November 30, 2025 at 9:20 PM
“Imagine if we truly understand complex whale communication & can extend our term ‘language’ to them. Such breakthroughs would not only rewrite biology textbooks but also fundamentally redefine what it means to be human & pave the way to instituting new protections for whales, the ocean & beyond”🧪
Reposted by Gasper Begus
If you speak whale, you may know that sperm whales communicate with click vocalizations that they group into units called codas. A new study in @openmindjournal.bsky.social shows that within these codas appear to be vowels & diphthongs, used similarly to humans: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
December 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
If you speak whale, you may know that sperm whales communicate with click vocalizations that they group into units called codas. A new study in @openmindjournal.bsky.social shows that within these codas appear to be vowels & diphthongs, used similarly to humans: direct.mit.edu/opmi/article...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
8️⃣ Then it gets even better.
Researchers found diphthong-like codas —
where formants rise or fall smoothly over the sequence.
Yes, whales basically have their own “ai” and “ey” sounds. 😳
Researchers found diphthong-like codas —
where formants rise or fall smoothly over the sequence.
Yes, whales basically have their own “ai” and “ey” sounds. 😳
November 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
8️⃣ Then it gets even better.
Researchers found diphthong-like codas —
where formants rise or fall smoothly over the sequence.
Yes, whales basically have their own “ai” and “ey” sounds. 😳
Researchers found diphthong-like codas —
where formants rise or fall smoothly over the sequence.
Yes, whales basically have their own “ai” and “ey” sounds. 😳
Reposted by Gasper Begus
In a first, AI models analyze language as well as a human expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
December 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
In a first, AI models analyze language as well as a human expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.quantamagazine.org/in-a-first-a...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
6️⃣ Hydrophones attached directly to the whales revealed at least two stable “whale vowel” types found across different individuals:
🔵 A-code — one distinct formant
🔵 I-code — two formants
This isn’t random noise — it’s consistent.
🔵 A-code — one distinct formant
🔵 I-code — two formants
This isn’t random noise — it’s consistent.
November 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
6️⃣ Hydrophones attached directly to the whales revealed at least two stable “whale vowel” types found across different individuals:
🔵 A-code — one distinct formant
🔵 I-code — two formants
This isn’t random noise — it’s consistent.
🔵 A-code — one distinct formant
🔵 I-code — two formants
This isn’t random noise — it’s consistent.
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Thank you @discovermag.bsky.social and Avery Hurt for delving into CETI’s recent publication, “Vowel- and Diphthong-Like Spectral Patterns in Sperm Whale Codas,” by: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva & Shane Gero.
Read the article here: bit.ly/3MKqR45
📷: Amanda Cotton
Read the article here: bit.ly/3MKqR45
📷: Amanda Cotton
December 16, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Thank you @discovermag.bsky.social and Avery Hurt for delving into CETI’s recent publication, “Vowel- and Diphthong-Like Spectral Patterns in Sperm Whale Codas,” by: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva & Shane Gero.
Read the article here: bit.ly/3MKqR45
📷: Amanda Cotton
Read the article here: bit.ly/3MKqR45
📷: Amanda Cotton
Reposted by Gasper Begus
The book is currently under 50% discount at the press website with the code HOLIDAY25
🤖 Nina Beguš @ninabegus.bsky.social uses the humanities to illuminate the cultural, ethical, and imaginative forces shaping AI’s development and its evolving role in human society in "Artificial Humanities", out now!: buff.ly/mtdpZWA
@uofmpress.bsky.social
@uofmpress.bsky.social
Artificial Humanities | Home
A Fictional Perspective on Language in AI
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 6:56 PM
The book is currently under 50% discount at the press website with the code HOLIDAY25
Reposted by Gasper Begus
The new results show a steady “chipping away” at properties that had been regarded as the exclusive domain of human language, Beguš said. “It appears that we’re less unique than we previously thought we were.”
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
For the First Time, AI Analyzes Language as Well as a Human Expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.wired.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
The new results show a steady “chipping away” at properties that had been regarded as the exclusive domain of human language, Beguš said. “It appears that we’re less unique than we previously thought we were.”
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
The new results show a steady “chipping away” at properties that had been regarded as the exclusive domain of human language, Beguš said. “It appears that we’re less unique than we previously thought we were.”
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
For the First Time, AI Analyzes Language as Well as a Human Expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.wired.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
The new results show a steady “chipping away” at properties that had been regarded as the exclusive domain of human language, Beguš said. “It appears that we’re less unique than we previously thought we were.”
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities? www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
For the First Time, AI Analyzes Language as Well as a Human Expert
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities?
www.wired.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:02 AM
If language is what makes us human, what does it mean now that large language models have gained “metalinguistic” abilities? www.wired.com/story/in-a-f...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Some questions:
- What are (artificial) humanities?
- What is good literature?
- Your goal as a researcher?
- University differences between USA and Slovenia?
- What should young people study?
- What are (artificial) humanities?
- What is good literature?
- Your goal as a researcher?
- University differences between USA and Slovenia?
- What should young people study?
The interview for the humanities research event at the University of Ljubljana got English subtitles! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld4f...
Samo trenutek, ... Nina Beguš (komparativistka, profesorica, Univerza Berkeley)
YouTube video by Evropska noč raziskovalcev – Humanistika, to si ti!
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Some questions:
- What are (artificial) humanities?
- What is good literature?
- Your goal as a researcher?
- University differences between USA and Slovenia?
- What should young people study?
- What are (artificial) humanities?
- What is good literature?
- Your goal as a researcher?
- University differences between USA and Slovenia?
- What should young people study?
Reposted by Gasper Begus
The interview for the humanities research event at the University of Ljubljana got English subtitles! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld4f...
Samo trenutek, ... Nina Beguš (komparativistka, profesorica, Univerza Berkeley)
YouTube video by Evropska noč raziskovalcev – Humanistika, to si ti!
www.youtube.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:34 PM
The interview for the humanities research event at the University of Ljubljana got English subtitles! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld4f...
Reposted by Gasper Begus
Bioacoustics just got more accessible, as CETI Scientists led by CETI Robotics Team Member, Daniel Vogt, have published the first fully open-source digital bioacoustics sensor for studying marine animals!
Explore here: bit.ly/4q4VIaa
🎨: PACT. Media
Explore here: bit.ly/4q4VIaa
🎨: PACT. Media
December 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Bioacoustics just got more accessible, as CETI Scientists led by CETI Robotics Team Member, Daniel Vogt, have published the first fully open-source digital bioacoustics sensor for studying marine animals!
Explore here: bit.ly/4q4VIaa
🎨: PACT. Media
Explore here: bit.ly/4q4VIaa
🎨: PACT. Media