Earth Species Project (ESP)
@earthspecies.bsky.social
The new frontier of interspecies understanding.
We decode animal communication with advanced AI to illuminate the diverse intelligences on earth.
www.earthspecies.org/
We decode animal communication with advanced AI to illuminate the diverse intelligences on earth.
www.earthspecies.org/
Pinned
Meet our speakers for the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
Meet our speakers for the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Meet our speakers for the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
@NeurIPSConf!
🐬 Laela Sayigh – decoding dolphin communication
🦇 Oisin Mac Aodha – AI for biodiversity monitoring
🐦 Julie Elie – neural mechanisms of songbird & bat vocal learning
Learn more and join: aiforanimalcomms.org
We're thrilled to welcome @drthomasz.bsky.social to our Board!
From leading NASA science missions that reveal new worlds and seeking for signs of life across the cosmos, Thomas is now helping us unlock a different frontier: understanding non-human intelligence right here on our own planet.
From leading NASA science missions that reveal new worlds and seeking for signs of life across the cosmos, Thomas is now helping us unlock a different frontier: understanding non-human intelligence right here on our own planet.
October 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
We're thrilled to welcome @drthomasz.bsky.social to our Board!
From leading NASA science missions that reveal new worlds and seeking for signs of life across the cosmos, Thomas is now helping us unlock a different frontier: understanding non-human intelligence right here on our own planet.
From leading NASA science missions that reveal new worlds and seeking for signs of life across the cosmos, Thomas is now helping us unlock a different frontier: understanding non-human intelligence right here on our own planet.
“We are losing the other cultures of Earth.”
🎧 Aza Raskin talks with @claresduffy.bsky.social on how AI's potential to help us understand animal communication might also reconnect humanity with the rest of nature - before it's too late.
www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...
🎧 Aza Raskin talks with @claresduffy.bsky.social on how AI's potential to help us understand animal communication might also reconnect humanity with the rest of nature - before it's too late.
www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...
The Tech Helping Humans Understand Animal Communication - Terms of Service with Clare Duffy - Podcast on CNN Podcasts
What if we could understand what the animals around us are saying? It’s the subject of countless movies and thought experiments, and something many of us wish we could do. Thanks to artificial intelli...
www.cnn.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:38 PM
“We are losing the other cultures of Earth.”
🎧 Aza Raskin talks with @claresduffy.bsky.social on how AI's potential to help us understand animal communication might also reconnect humanity with the rest of nature - before it's too late.
www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...
🎧 Aza Raskin talks with @claresduffy.bsky.social on how AI's potential to help us understand animal communication might also reconnect humanity with the rest of nature - before it's too late.
www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...
🕊️ Dr. Goodall transformed how we see the natural world and our place within it. Her courage, curiosity, and deep listening to other species inspire the heart of our mission at Earth Species Project. We will miss her dearly.
October 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
🕊️ Dr. Goodall transformed how we see the natural world and our place within it. Her courage, curiosity, and deep listening to other species inspire the heart of our mission at Earth Species Project. We will miss her dearly.
🌍 For the first time, we asked the world what they want from AI that can decode animal communication.
The answer? 70% want to know what animals think and feel.
The world is ready to listen. Read the report for more insights: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-th...
The answer? 70% want to know what animals think and feel.
The world is ready to listen. Read the report for more insights: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-th...
What the World Thinks About AI and Animal Communication: Findings from Our First Global Survey - Earth Species Project
For the first time, we asked the world what it wants from a future where AI helps us understand animal communication. Surveying 1,057 people across 67 countries, we discovered remarkable global consen...
www.earthspecies.org
September 30, 2025 at 2:03 PM
🌍 For the first time, we asked the world what they want from AI that can decode animal communication.
The answer? 70% want to know what animals think and feel.
The world is ready to listen. Read the report for more insights: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-th...
The answer? 70% want to know what animals think and feel.
The world is ready to listen. Read the report for more insights: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-th...
💡 How can we build #AI models that generalize across species + tasks? 🐦🐋🐒
This is a fundamental question for our work at ESP and it’s the topic of our most recent paper and blog post: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-ma...
🧵Read below for more👇
This is a fundamental question for our work at ESP and it’s the topic of our most recent paper and blog post: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-ma...
🧵Read below for more👇
What Matters for Bioacoustic Encoding: A Practical Training Recipe for Building Generalizable Models - Earth Species Project
To better understand what matters for building a generalizable bioacoustic encoder, we tested 19 models across 26 datasets and a new evaluation benchmark. Our main finding is that a two-stage training...
www.earthspecies.org
September 16, 2025 at 7:16 PM
💡 How can we build #AI models that generalize across species + tasks? 🐦🐋🐒
This is a fundamental question for our work at ESP and it’s the topic of our most recent paper and blog post: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-ma...
🧵Read below for more👇
This is a fundamental question for our work at ESP and it’s the topic of our most recent paper and blog post: www.earthspecies.org/blog/what-ma...
🧵Read below for more👇
🐋🐦🐸 We just launched an interactive demo of NatureLM-audio on @hf.co!
👉 Try the demo with your audio or ours, share your feedback, and help us shape the future of decoding animal communication: huggingface.co/blog/EarthSp...
👉 Try the demo with your audio or ours, share your feedback, and help us shape the future of decoding animal communication: huggingface.co/blog/EarthSp...
September 4, 2025 at 4:17 PM
🐋🐦🐸 We just launched an interactive demo of NatureLM-audio on @hf.co!
👉 Try the demo with your audio or ours, share your feedback, and help us shape the future of decoding animal communication: huggingface.co/blog/EarthSp...
👉 Try the demo with your audio or ours, share your feedback, and help us shape the future of decoding animal communication: huggingface.co/blog/EarthSp...
⚠️ Deadline extended— submit by Sept. 5th!
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI and Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social.
🔗 Learn more & apply: aiforanimalcomms.org
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI and Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social.
🔗 Learn more & apply: aiforanimalcomms.org
August 28, 2025 at 2:58 PM
⚠️ Deadline extended— submit by Sept. 5th!
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI and Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social.
🔗 Learn more & apply: aiforanimalcomms.org
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI and Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social.
🔗 Learn more & apply: aiforanimalcomms.org
Join us at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025 🔉
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop!
Submit your proposals on the intersection of AI & bioacoustics by Aug. 31 and learn more at aiforanimalcomms.org
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop!
Submit your proposals on the intersection of AI & bioacoustics by Aug. 31 and learn more at aiforanimalcomms.org
📢 Call for Submissions
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
August 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Join us at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025 🔉
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop!
Submit your proposals on the intersection of AI & bioacoustics by Aug. 31 and learn more at aiforanimalcomms.org
There is still time to apply to be a part of the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop!
Submit your proposals on the intersection of AI & bioacoustics by Aug. 31 and learn more at aiforanimalcomms.org
FrogID tested our NatureLM-audio model to help verify frog calls from the public. Even without fine-tuning, it could save 300+ hrs of work yearly— and it even excelled on tasks it wasn't trained for. 🐸💡
www.earthspecies.org/blog/listeni...
www.earthspecies.org/blog/listeni...
Listening for Frogs at Scale: How FrogID Evaluated NatureLM-Audio on Real-World Data - Earth Species Project
FrogID, the world’s largest frog-focused citizen science project, tested Earth Species Project’s open-source NatureLM-audio model to help automate the validation of frog vocalizations submitted by the...
www.earthspecies.org
August 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
FrogID tested our NatureLM-audio model to help verify frog calls from the public. Even without fine-tuning, it could save 300+ hrs of work yearly— and it even excelled on tasks it wasn't trained for. 🐸💡
www.earthspecies.org/blog/listeni...
www.earthspecies.org/blog/listeni...
Over 8 million species share our planet—and until now we’ve only understood one.
We've proposed a talk at #SXSW2026 all about how AI is helping us listen to the voices of nature.
If you'd like to see us there, click the heart on our proposal to vote💚 ⬇️
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
We've proposed a talk at #SXSW2026 all about how AI is helping us listen to the voices of nature.
If you'd like to see us there, click the heart on our proposal to vote💚 ⬇️
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals
PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.
participate.sxsw.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Over 8 million species share our planet—and until now we’ve only understood one.
We've proposed a talk at #SXSW2026 all about how AI is helping us listen to the voices of nature.
If you'd like to see us there, click the heart on our proposal to vote💚 ⬇️
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
We've proposed a talk at #SXSW2026 all about how AI is helping us listen to the voices of nature.
If you'd like to see us there, click the heart on our proposal to vote💚 ⬇️
participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...
📢 Call for Submissions
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
August 4, 2025 at 8:21 PM
📢 Call for Submissions
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
ESP is hosting the AI for Non-Human Animal Communication workshop at @neuripsconf.bsky.social 2025! We welcome short papers & proposals that explore the use of AI in understanding animal communication.
🗓️ Deadline: Aug 31, 2025
🔗 aiforanimalcomms.org
What if we could decipher the voices of other species?
ESP co-founder & Board member Katie Zacarian joins Ben Goldsmith on Rewilding the World to explore how frontier AI is decoding animal communication—and what it could mean for interspecies connection👇🏽
tinyurl.com/32czw4zu
ESP co-founder & Board member Katie Zacarian joins Ben Goldsmith on Rewilding the World to explore how frontier AI is decoding animal communication—and what it could mean for interspecies connection👇🏽
tinyurl.com/32czw4zu
August 1, 2025 at 6:49 PM
What if we could decipher the voices of other species?
ESP co-founder & Board member Katie Zacarian joins Ben Goldsmith on Rewilding the World to explore how frontier AI is decoding animal communication—and what it could mean for interspecies connection👇🏽
tinyurl.com/32czw4zu
ESP co-founder & Board member Katie Zacarian joins Ben Goldsmith on Rewilding the World to explore how frontier AI is decoding animal communication—and what it could mean for interspecies connection👇🏽
tinyurl.com/32czw4zu
To truly share this planet requires a shift in how we think, act, and connect across species.
This #WorldConservationDay, we're reflecting on this responsibility, which is at the core of our mission, and reinforced by the perspective Christiana brings as the newest member of our board.
This #WorldConservationDay, we're reflecting on this responsibility, which is at the core of our mission, and reinforced by the perspective Christiana brings as the newest member of our board.
July 28, 2025 at 6:52 PM
To truly share this planet requires a shift in how we think, act, and connect across species.
This #WorldConservationDay, we're reflecting on this responsibility, which is at the core of our mission, and reinforced by the perspective Christiana brings as the newest member of our board.
This #WorldConservationDay, we're reflecting on this responsibility, which is at the core of our mission, and reinforced by the perspective Christiana brings as the newest member of our board.
For the first time, a non-primate species has been proven to use gestures to signal what they want. 🐘🍎
New work led by @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social at @univie.ac.at marks a key milestone in animal communication, showing elephants are capable of goal-directed intentionality.
tinyurl.com/yc3a2vew
New work led by @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social at @univie.ac.at marks a key milestone in animal communication, showing elephants are capable of goal-directed intentionality.
tinyurl.com/yc3a2vew
Elephants gesture to signal what they want—just like us
New experiments show elephants use a wide range of movements to express their desires
tinyurl.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:42 PM
For the first time, a non-primate species has been proven to use gestures to signal what they want. 🐘🍎
New work led by @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social at @univie.ac.at marks a key milestone in animal communication, showing elephants are capable of goal-directed intentionality.
tinyurl.com/yc3a2vew
New work led by @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social at @univie.ac.at marks a key milestone in animal communication, showing elephants are capable of goal-directed intentionality.
tinyurl.com/yc3a2vew
Thanks to @louromain.bsky.social & Circle of Voices for including ESP’s perspective on #UNOC2025.
Listen to hear Jane Lawton (at 54:34) share reflections and learnings we’re taking forward as we continue our work to decode animal communication.
tinyurl.com/bdcu32ac
Listen to hear Jane Lawton (at 54:34) share reflections and learnings we’re taking forward as we continue our work to decode animal communication.
tinyurl.com/bdcu32ac
July 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Thanks to @louromain.bsky.social & Circle of Voices for including ESP’s perspective on #UNOC2025.
Listen to hear Jane Lawton (at 54:34) share reflections and learnings we’re taking forward as we continue our work to decode animal communication.
tinyurl.com/bdcu32ac
Listen to hear Jane Lawton (at 54:34) share reflections and learnings we’re taking forward as we continue our work to decode animal communication.
tinyurl.com/bdcu32ac
Last quarter we celebrated big wins—from open-sourcing NatureLM-audio to launching new partnerships & projects.
Today, we look ahead to a new chapter as Katie Zacarian passes the baton after 3 incredible years of leadership.
Read more: mailchi.mp/a5d101927fdd...
Today, we look ahead to a new chapter as Katie Zacarian passes the baton after 3 incredible years of leadership.
Read more: mailchi.mp/a5d101927fdd...
July 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Last quarter we celebrated big wins—from open-sourcing NatureLM-audio to launching new partnerships & projects.
Today, we look ahead to a new chapter as Katie Zacarian passes the baton after 3 incredible years of leadership.
Read more: mailchi.mp/a5d101927fdd...
Today, we look ahead to a new chapter as Katie Zacarian passes the baton after 3 incredible years of leadership.
Read more: mailchi.mp/a5d101927fdd...
We’re partnering with @raincoast.org to explore how killer whales communicate in an evolving ocean environment.
Combining aerial & underwater data, we're building a robust dataset leveraging AI to analyze 10+ years of bioacoustic recordings.
Read more: www.earthspecies.org/blog/decodin...
Combining aerial & underwater data, we're building a robust dataset leveraging AI to analyze 10+ years of bioacoustic recordings.
Read more: www.earthspecies.org/blog/decodin...
June 30, 2025 at 7:16 PM
We’re partnering with @raincoast.org to explore how killer whales communicate in an evolving ocean environment.
Combining aerial & underwater data, we're building a robust dataset leveraging AI to analyze 10+ years of bioacoustic recordings.
Read more: www.earthspecies.org/blog/decodin...
Combining aerial & underwater data, we're building a robust dataset leveraging AI to analyze 10+ years of bioacoustic recordings.
Read more: www.earthspecies.org/blog/decodin...
We're welcoming Christiana Figueres to our Board.
A global leader in climate diplomacy, Christiana brings a fierce commitment to systems change—and a shared vision for humanity that centers the natural world.
Join the conversation: www.earthspecies.org/donate
A global leader in climate diplomacy, Christiana brings a fierce commitment to systems change—and a shared vision for humanity that centers the natural world.
Join the conversation: www.earthspecies.org/donate
June 25, 2025 at 7:04 PM
We're welcoming Christiana Figueres to our Board.
A global leader in climate diplomacy, Christiana brings a fierce commitment to systems change—and a shared vision for humanity that centers the natural world.
Join the conversation: www.earthspecies.org/donate
A global leader in climate diplomacy, Christiana brings a fierce commitment to systems change—and a shared vision for humanity that centers the natural world.
Join the conversation: www.earthspecies.org/donate
We're compiling a list of all our collaborators, staff & partners in one place. Check out our StarterPack to connect with some of the key voices in animal communication, AI, bioacoustics & ethology👇🏽
Let us know if we missed anyone & please share to help us grow the community 🔊 🌎
go.bsky.app/AdivEXH
Let us know if we missed anyone & please share to help us grow the community 🔊 🌎
go.bsky.app/AdivEXH
June 13, 2025 at 6:23 PM
We're compiling a list of all our collaborators, staff & partners in one place. Check out our StarterPack to connect with some of the key voices in animal communication, AI, bioacoustics & ethology👇🏽
Let us know if we missed anyone & please share to help us grow the community 🔊 🌎
go.bsky.app/AdivEXH
Let us know if we missed anyone & please share to help us grow the community 🔊 🌎
go.bsky.app/AdivEXH
ESP is headed to Nice for #UNOC2025 🌊
Catch us throughout the week as we co-host, listen to, and learn from sessions exploring how humans interact with the natural world—and how we can help drive momentum toward systems that support a more resilient ocean and planet.
Catch us throughout the week as we co-host, listen to, and learn from sessions exploring how humans interact with the natural world—and how we can help drive momentum toward systems that support a more resilient ocean and planet.
June 6, 2025 at 5:51 PM
ESP is headed to Nice for #UNOC2025 🌊
Catch us throughout the week as we co-host, listen to, and learn from sessions exploring how humans interact with the natural world—and how we can help drive momentum toward systems that support a more resilient ocean and planet.
Catch us throughout the week as we co-host, listen to, and learn from sessions exploring how humans interact with the natural world—and how we can help drive momentum toward systems that support a more resilient ocean and planet.
2024 was a pivotal year for ESP—we launched new models & benchmarks, open-sourced NatureLM-audio, and led key conversations on interspecies understanding.
Dive into our 2024 Annual Report for a glimpse into our progress ⬇️
tinyurl.com/44c9r2sa
Dive into our 2024 Annual Report for a glimpse into our progress ⬇️
tinyurl.com/44c9r2sa
June 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
2024 was a pivotal year for ESP—we launched new models & benchmarks, open-sourced NatureLM-audio, and led key conversations on interspecies understanding.
Dive into our 2024 Annual Report for a glimpse into our progress ⬇️
tinyurl.com/44c9r2sa
Dive into our 2024 Annual Report for a glimpse into our progress ⬇️
tinyurl.com/44c9r2sa
AI provides the opportunity to equip animal communication researchers with new capabilities.
Thanks @omarg.bsky.social for celebrating how advancements like Laela Sayigh's award-winning work & ESP's models are helping break down interspecies language barriers.
www.cnet.com/science/want...
Thanks @omarg.bsky.social for celebrating how advancements like Laela Sayigh's award-winning work & ESP's models are helping break down interspecies language barriers.
www.cnet.com/science/want...
Dolphin Researchers Win $100,000 AI Prize for Studying Their Whistling
Scientists studied a dolphin community in Florida, uncovering evidence of language-like communication between the aquatic mammals.
www.cnet.com
May 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
AI provides the opportunity to equip animal communication researchers with new capabilities.
Thanks @omarg.bsky.social for celebrating how advancements like Laela Sayigh's award-winning work & ESP's models are helping break down interspecies language barriers.
www.cnet.com/science/want...
Thanks @omarg.bsky.social for celebrating how advancements like Laela Sayigh's award-winning work & ESP's models are helping break down interspecies language barriers.
www.cnet.com/science/want...
Wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970—up from 69% in 2022, according to @worldwildlife.org.
At ESP, we believe every species has a voice. This #WorldBiodiversityDay, we invite you to reflect on why listening matters now more than ever.
Learn more:
livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
At ESP, we believe every species has a voice. This #WorldBiodiversityDay, we invite you to reflect on why listening matters now more than ever.
Learn more:
livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
May 22, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Wildlife populations have declined by 73% since 1970—up from 69% in 2022, according to @worldwildlife.org.
At ESP, we believe every species has a voice. This #WorldBiodiversityDay, we invite you to reflect on why listening matters now more than ever.
Learn more:
livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
At ESP, we believe every species has a voice. This #WorldBiodiversityDay, we invite you to reflect on why listening matters now more than ever.
Learn more:
livingplanet.panda.org/en-US/
AI may never give us a Rosetta Stone for animal communication—but like the telescope, has the potential to expand what humans are able to perceive.
Thank you @sarahscoles.bsky.social for highlighting this work & asking the challenging questions that come with it ⬇️
Thank you @sarahscoles.bsky.social for highlighting this work & asking the challenging questions that come with it ⬇️
Researchers recently used AI to show that sperm whales may have a “phonetic alphabet” from which they construct complex communications and that elephants might address each other by name. 🧪
AI Could Help Humans Understand Animals
But are animal dictionaries enough to demystify the animal mind?
nautil.us
May 16, 2025 at 8:35 PM
AI may never give us a Rosetta Stone for animal communication—but like the telescope, has the potential to expand what humans are able to perceive.
Thank you @sarahscoles.bsky.social for highlighting this work & asking the challenging questions that come with it ⬇️
Thank you @sarahscoles.bsky.social for highlighting this work & asking the challenging questions that come with it ⬇️