What Did Shekhar Kapur Reveal About Humans, Dolphins, and AI?

Mumbai, July 27 (NationPress) Padma Bhushan recipient Shekhar Kapur, who previously expressed his support for Artificial Intelligence in the content industry, has narrated a captivating tale regarding AI interpreting signals from dolphins.

The acclaimed filmmaker recently posted on his Instagram, showcasing an image of a dolphin, accompanied by a detailed note in the caption where he elaborated on the AI initiative.

He stated, “Researchers were examining the cognitive abilities of a dolphin in a tank. By sending signals and stimuli to the dolphin, computers utilizing cutting-edge AI technology recorded and analyzed the dolphin’s reactions. They continued this research for several months, searching for patterns. ‘Just how intelligent are dolphins?’, they pondered. What startled the researchers was the dolphin's tendency to return and gaze at them, as if it were inquiring, ‘What’s your next signal?’. It seemed as though this was a game the dolphin relished. ‘Was the dolphin merely enjoying the play? Does play follow a pattern?’”

Kapur referred to the recent DolphinGemma project by Google, which employs AI to document and examine the communication patterns of dolphins.

However, what he revealed next appeared to be fictitious. He shared, “Upon analyzing the data, the scientists found no coherent responses or patterns from the dolphin; even with the advanced AI engine, the responses seemed entirely random. Random?”. One day, the ten-year-old daughter of one of the researchers visited. Upon spotting her, the dolphin visibly perked up, rolling up and down as if eager to play with the girl. The dolphin's vocalizations began to resemble singing and humming, and the girl hummed back, leaving the researchers in awe.”

He continued, “When they inquired with the little girl about what was happening, she replied, ‘We’re singing together.’ The AI engine swiftly analyzed the situation, revealing that while the scientists were trying to study the dolphin, the dolphin was, in fact, studying them. This was why no pattern was detected in the dolphin’s responses.”

“They should have been looking for their own patterns. ‘What song are you singing with the dolphin?’ the scientists asked. ‘It’s the song of the Planet Earth,’ the little girl responded. The dolphin gazed at the researchers, who questioned why the dolphin was studying them. ‘She wants to understand what kind of species would seek to destroy its own home. Its own planet,’ the girl explained. ‘How intelligent are humans, really?’, the dolphin seemed to be asking,” he concluded.