Could an Orca Give a TED Talk? | Karen Bakker | TED

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: suya f.

So we're in the middle of a fierce debate

我们正处于一场激烈的争论中，

about how artificial intelligence will change human society.

探讨人工智能（AI）会如何 改变人类的社会。

But have you thought about how AI will transform

但是你想过 AI 会如何改变

your relationship to the non-human world?

你与非人类世界之间的关系吗？

So these are bioacoustic recorders.

这些都是生物声学录音机。

And I've spent years studying how scientists use devices like this,

我花费了数年研究 科学家如何使用这样的设备，

combined with AI,

借助 AI，

to listen to the hidden sounds of nature

倾听自然界中的隐秘声音，

and decode non-human communication.

解密非人类之间的交流。

Hidden sounds,

隐秘声音，

because much acoustic communication in nature

是因为自然界中很多声音的交流

occurs in the high ultrasound, above your hearing range,

都会在高频超声的频段， 超过了你的听觉范围，

or in the deep infrasound, below your hearing range.

或是在低频次声的频段， 低于你的听觉范围。

So I'm going to play a sound.

我现在来播放一段声音。

I want you to listen and try to guess who or what this is.

请大家听一听， 猜猜看这是谁或是什么东西。

(Chirping sound)

（啁啾声）

So that was a bat.

这是一只蝙蝠。

That was bat ultrasound, recorded above your hearing range,

这是蝙蝠超声波， 录制频段高于你的听觉范围，

but slowed down so you could hear.

但放慢了，这样你可以听得见。

So that was an advertisement call from the peak of the mating season.

这是交配季节正盛时的求偶声。

Scientists can decode these calls,

科学家们可以解读这些叫声，

so a sample bat to English translation would be, and I quote,

举个蝙蝠语翻译成英文的例子：

"Pay attention.

“听好了。

I'm a Pipistrellus nathusii bat, specifically male.

我是一只纳氏伏翼，性别男。

My name is X. I am landing here

我叫 X。我就停在这儿，

and we share a common social identity and common communication pool."

我们是一路人，说一样的话。”

For a pickup line by a bat, not bad.

一只蝙蝠的宣传语，还不错啦。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So scientists have recorded millions of bat vocalizations like this

科学家们录制了大量 像这样的蝙蝠语音，

and they've decoded many of them using AI.

利用 AI 解读了很多语音。

And they've revealed that bats have dialects

他们还发现蝙蝠 有代代相传的方言，

that they pass down from one generation to the next,

and that baby bats learn to speak just like you did,

蝙蝠幼崽会学你说话，

by listening to the adults around them

听身边的成年蝙蝠讲话，

and babbling back until they speak adult bat.

咿呀学语，直到学会说成年蝙蝠语。

So bats have far more complex communication than we knew,

蝙蝠的交流方式 比我们所知的要复杂得多，

and they're only one of many examples.

这只是其中一个例子。

Listen to this.

听听看。

(Melodic chirping sounds)

（带有韵律的啁啾声）

So those are orcas who live right here in the Salish Sea.

这些是生活在萨利希海的虎鲸。

Scientists can decode individual orca calls using AI

科学家利用 AI 解读了 各种虎鲸叫声，

and they've revealed that orcas also pass down their dialects

发现虎鲸也会代代相传方言。

from one generation to the next.

So it turns out

其实虎鲸和蝙蝠并不是 仅有会制造超声的生物。

that orcas and bats are not the only creatures that make ultrasound.

Moths, mice, beetles, rats.

飞蛾、老鼠、甲虫、大老鼠。

Even some of our smaller primate cousins like this tarsier.

甚至还有一些比我们体型更小的 灵长类近亲，如这只眼镜猴。

At the other end, in the deep infrasound,

另一端的低频次声，

elephants and whales,

大象、鲸鱼、

tigers and some birds make sound.

老虎和一些鸟类会制造这样的声音。

So when we first learned about these secret sounds of the world,

我们第一次了解 这些世界上的隐秘之声时，

we're often surprised because humans tend to believe

常常会感到惊讶， 因为人类总是认为

that what we cannot perceive does not exist.

我们感知不到的事物是不存在的。

And so we miss a lot.

所以我们错过了很多。

One of my favorite examples is this peacock.

我最喜欢的一个例子是这只孔雀。

So to you, this looks like a visual mating display.

你眼中的它 只有视觉上的求偶行为。

And it is.

确实如此。

But this peacock is also making very loud infrasound with its tail,

但这只孔雀与此同时 也在用它的尾巴制造次声巨响，

which you cannot hear, but female peahens can.

你是听不到的， 但雌性孔雀可以听见。

And it is an important factor in their mating decisions.

这也是它们的交配抉择中的 重要考量因素。

So this peacock is giving a rock concert.

也就是说这只孔雀在开摇滚演唱会。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, we have lived with peacocks for millennia,

我们已与孔雀共存了千年，

but we only just figured this out.

但我们刚刚才知道这一点。

Scientists also used to think that turtles were voiceless

科学家以前也认为 龟是不会发声的，

and mother turtles abandoned their nests after laying their eggs.

而且龟妈妈会在孵化了蛋以后弃巢。

But we've just discovered that baby Amazonian turtles

但我们刚刚发现亚马逊龟幼崽

communicate through their shells before they hatch

会在孵化之前通过壳交流，

to coordinate the moment of their birth

协调出生时间，

and then follow their mother's calls to safety in the water.

听妈妈的指挥，在水中注意安全。

Even creatures without ears are exquisitely sensitive to sound.

即使是没有耳朵的生物 也对声音非常敏感。

So this is a coral larva.

这是一只珊瑚幼虫。

When coral larvae are born, usually at a mass spawning event

珊瑚幼虫出生的时候， 往往是在满月之后数日的

a few days after the full moon, they wash out to sea.

大量繁殖期，冲刷入海。

So scientists used to think that these little larvae,

从前科学家认为这些小幼虫，

these tiny dots that you see here,

如图所示的小点，

were helpless, randomly pushed around by wind and waves and currents.

会随风、海浪、水流肆意飘摇。

But it turns out that coral larvae are acoustically attuned.

但其实珊瑚幼虫是会受到声音影响的。

They can hear the sounds of healthy reefs.

它们可以听到健康珊瑚礁的声音。

They can hear the sound of their home reef, their mother reef,

它们可以听到它们的家、 珊瑚礁大本营的声音，

and they swim back home across miles of open ocean.

跨越无垠的海洋游回家。

So these are tiny creatures with no central nervous system.

这些小生物没有中枢神经系统。

But we think they do that with these hairs

但我们认为它们是通过

that you see on the outside of their bodies.

身体外部的“毛发”做到这一点的。

They're a lot like the hairs inside your ears

就像你耳朵里的毛发，

that are enabling you to listen to me right now,

让你听得到我现在说的话，

so you can think of a coral larva a little bit like an inside-out ear,

你可以把珊瑚幼虫 大致想象成翻转的耳朵，

except that its sense of hearing is profoundly more sensitive than your own

只是它的听力要比你的敏感得多，

because they hear with their entire bodies.

因为它们用上了整个身体去听。

Even our planet makes sound.

连我们的地球都会发出声音。

Volcanoes, earthquakes sound so low and strong and powerful,

火山、地震的声音 太低了，太强有力了，

they travel very far,

所以可以传播得很远，

passing through soil and stone and even solid walls.

穿过土壤、岩石， 甚至是坚实的墙壁。

Listen to this hydrothermal vent deep under the ocean.

听一听来自深海的热液喷口。

(Deep, rhythmic hum)

（低沉、有节奏的轰鸣）

So in nature, sound is everywhere and silence is an illusion.

在自然界中，声音无处不在， 寂静只是镜花水月。

So scientists are also listening to the vast extent

科学家们也在聆听 大量的跨物种交流。

of interspecies communication.

So this bat is using ultrasound to hunt this moth.

这只蝙蝠在利用超声波 狩猎这只蛾子。

Its echolocation beam is locked onto its prey,

它的回声定位声波 已经锁定了它的猎物，

but the moth is also emitting ultrasound.

但蛾子也在发射超声波。

It's jamming the bat sonar in an attempt to escape.

它试图以干扰蝙蝠的声呐逃出生天。

This plant is also emitting ultrasound, which varies depending on its condition.

这株植物也在发射超声波， 会根据它的状态调节。

Scientists have trained an algorithm to listen to this plant.

科学家训练了一个算法 来聆听这株植物。

Simply by listening

单单靠听，

it can detect with about 70 percent accuracy

就能以大约 70% 的准确率检测出

whether the plant is healthy, dehydrated or injured.

这株植物是健康的、 缺水的还是受损的。

So this is peer-reviewed research, by the way.

顺带提一句， 这是一项经过同行评审的研究。

So we cannot hear these sounds, but we think many insects can.

我们听不到这些声音， 但是我们认为很多昆虫听得见。

Does this mean that humans could use digital tech

也就是说，人类有朝一日 可以利用数字技术

to one day communicate with other species?

与其他物种交流吗？

Well, some scientists think so

有些科学家认为可以，

and they're using machine learning to try to decode the acoustics of other species.

他们通过机器学习 试图解读其他物种的声音。

So there are teams of computer scientists and linguists and biologists

有很多计算机科学家、 语言学家、生物学家组队

working on decoding sperm whale bioacoustics.

破译抹香鲸的生物声学。

They're also building entire dictionaries.

他们还建立了整套字典。

So there's an elephant dictionary with thousands of sounds.

有一套大象字典 包含了上千种声音。

Elephants, for example, have a specific signal for honeybee.

举个例子，大象对蜜蜂 会有一种特殊信号。

So I'd love to share just one of these sounds with you.

我想与大家分享 其中一种声音。

It was recorded at a moment of great joy and celebration,

录制的瞬间洋溢着喜悦和庆祝，

the birth of a new baby.

大象宝宝的诞生。

(Elephant roaring)

（大象咆哮）

(Applause)

（掌声）

So the further we listen across the tree of life,

我们在生命之树上聆听得越多，

the more complex interspecies communication would be.

跨物种交流就会越复杂。

Listen to this honeybee.

听听看这只蜜蜂的声音。

(Honeybee buzzing)

（蜜蜂嗡嗡声）

Now listen to this honeybee queen.

听听这只蜂后的声音。

(Queen bee tooting)

（蜂后尖锐叫声）

So you thought you knew what honeybees sounded like. OK.

你以为你已经了解了 蜜蜂的叫声。好吧。

Honeybee communication is incredibly complex.

蜜蜂交流相当复杂。

It's acoustic, positional, spatial, vibrational.

涉及了声学、位置、空间、振动。

The queen has her own signals.

蜂后有自己的信号。

So scientists are encoding these signals into robots.

科学家将这些信号 编译进了机器人。

This robot is attempting, but not succeeding,

这台机器人试图与蜂群交流， 但失败了。

to communicate with the hive.

The bees mostly ignore or attack it.

蜜蜂基本上会无视或攻击它。

But one day, we hope,

但我们、发明者希望有朝一日

the inventors hope, that this robot will communicate well enough

这台机器人能顺畅交流，

to allow scientists to monitor the health of the hive.

让科学家能够监控蜂群的健康情况。

Now, would that be a good thing?

这会是件好事吗？

Some believe that interspecies communication would help foster respect

有人认为跨物种交流可以促进 对大自然的尊重和同理心，

and empathy for nature,

others believe that it is profoundly disrespectful and unethical

有人认为这样的窃听、接触

是非常不尊重、不道德的。

to eavesdrop and engage in this way.

And there could be a really big downside.

还可能会有一个非常负面的影响。

Listen to this robin.

听听这只旅鸫的声音。

(Bird chirping)

（鸟类啁啾声）

So that was not actually a robin.

这其实不是旅鸫的声音。

That was a deepfake

这是由艺术家黛丝·金斯伯格 （Daisy Ginsberg）

created by an artist, Daisy Ginsberg, using AI.

利用 AI 生成的深度伪造。

Clever, beautiful.

很厉害，很优美。

But think of the potential for misuse by hunters or poachers.

但想象一下猎人 或偷猎者的滥用可能性。

Interspecies communication needs strong ethical guardrails.

跨物种交流需要强力的道德约束。

And anyway, maybe it's a bit self-centered to think

但说到底，也许认为

别的物种想和我们交流 都是自作多情了。

other species would even want to communicate with us.

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So what if we were to use bioacoustics

如果我们将生物声学

for something of immediate practical value,

用于立竿见影的实际用途上，

like doing something about our massive biodiversity crisis?

如解决我们大规模的 生物多样性危机，会如何？

Let's go back to the coral reefs.

我们再回到珊瑚礁的例子上。

Listen to this healthy reef sound.

听一听健康珊瑚礁的声音。

(Chirping, croaking and sizzling sounds)

（啁啾声、呱呱叫声、滋啦声）

Pretty lively, right?

生机盎然，对吧？

But coral reefs are disappearing.

但珊瑚礁正在消亡。

If you were to go to most coral reefs today,

你去看看现在大部分的珊瑚礁，

you'd hear something like this.

会听见这样的声音。

(Staticky sound)

（静电声）

It's like a ghost town of the sea.

就像海里的一座鬼城。

When we lose species, we lose voices.

我们失去物种的时候， 就失去了声音。

When we lose landscapes, we also lose soundscapes.

我们失去风景的时候， 就失去了音景。

There is a ray of hope.

还是有一线希望的。

The healthy reef sounds that you just heard

你刚听到的健康珊瑚礁的声音

can be used to regenerate coral reefs.

可以用于再生珊瑚礁。

Scientists are doing this.

科学家正在进行这样的操作。

It's a bit like music therapy for nature.

有点像给大自然的音乐疗法。

So this is not going to solve all the problems coral reefs face,

这无法解决珊瑚礁面临的所有问题，

notably climate change.

尤其是气候变化。

But if we can address the massive epidemic of noise pollution

但如果我们可以解决 伤害、杀害海洋生物的

that is harming and killing marine creatures,

大规模噪音污染，

we could use bioacoustics to restore some biodiversity.

我们就可以利用生物声学 恢复些许生物多样性。

Bioacoustics could also help protect animals on the move.

生物声学也有助于 保护移动中的动物。

So this baby whale was killed by a ship.

这头鲸鱼宝宝被一艘船杀害。

Tragically, this is a common cause of death of North Atlantic right whales,

不幸的是，这是 北大西洋露脊鲸的常见死因，

one of the most endangered species in the world.

露脊鲸是世界上最濒危的物种之一。

So to address this,

为了解决这个问题，

scientists are now launching a new bioacoustics program

科学家启动了 一项全新的生物声学计划，

off the east coast of North America

位于北美东海岸，

to triangulate the locations of whales

三角定位鲸鱼，

and convey the information to ships’ captains in real time.

实时将信息发送给船长。

The ships then have to slow down, stop, move out of the way.

船只必须降速、停船或让道。

Not a single right whale has died of a ship strike in this zone

自计划启动， 这块区域没有一头露脊鲸

since this program was launched.

死于船只撞击。

(Applause)

（掌声）

So this may be the thing that saves this species.

这也许就是拯救物种的法宝。

So think about it.

想象一下。

A few decades ago, we were harpooning these whales nearly to extinction.

几十年前，我们对这些鲸鱼的捕猎 将其逼至将近灭绝。

Today, we've invented a technology

如今，我们发明了一项技术，

that allows a community of less than 400 whales,

让不到 400 头鲸鱼的鲸群，

simply by singing,

只靠唱出歌声，

to guide the movements of tens of thousands of ships

就能引导成百上千的船只

in a watershed that's home to tens of millions of people.

航行于上百万人的家园流域。

One day, these whale lanes may be everywhere in the oceans.

有朝一日这些鲸鱼航线 会在海洋中随处可见。

For the orcas who live here in the Salish Sea,

对生活在萨利希海里的虎鲸来说，

this would be just in time because there are only a few dozen left.

这就会是及时雨， 因为已经为数不多。

A final thought.

最后一个想法。

About 400 years ago,

大概 400 年前，

the inventors of the microscope were astonished to discover

显微镜的发明者惊讶地发现了

the microbial world.

微生物世界。

They had no idea their invention would lead to the discovery of DNA

他们完全不知道自己的发明 会促成 DNA 的发现

and the ability to manipulate the code of life.

和操控生命密码的能力。

Around the same time,

大约与此同时，

the inventors of the telescope were gazing up at the stars,

望远镜的发明者凝望星空，

not knowing their invention would allow humanity to look back in time

也不知道自己的发明 能让人类回溯时间，

to the origins of the universe.

回到宇宙的起源。

Optics decenters humanity within the solar system,

光学颠覆了人类在太阳系，

within the cosmos.

在宇宙中的位置。

Bioacoustics decenters humanity within the tree of life.

而生物声学颠覆了人类 在生命之树上的位置。

Our commonality is greater than we knew.

我们的共同点比我们所知的更多。

Now today we're using bioacoustics to protect species

今天，我们用生物声学保护物种，

and decode their communication,

解密它们的交流，

but tomorrow, I believe, we'll be using bioacoustics

但明天，我相信我们会用生物声学，

combined with machine intelligence

结合上机器智能，

to explore the frontiers of biological intelligence.

探索生物智能的前沿。

Many biological intelligences are very different than our own,

很多生物智能 与我们自己的截然不同，

but they're no less worthy of exploration.

但它们依旧有同等的探索价值。

And maybe one day in a speculative future,

也许有朝一日， 在想象的未来中，

instead of a human here on stage,

不再是人类站在台上，

maybe bioacoustics would enable an orca to give a TED talk.

也许生物声学能让虎鲸 带来一场 TED 演讲。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Why not?

为什么不可能呢？

Sharing orca stories about dodging ships

分享虎鲸躲避船只、

and seismic blasts and human hunters,

地震波和人类捕猎者的故事，

stories about desperately seeking the last remaining salmon,

迫切寻找最后的鲑鱼的故事，

stories about trying to survive on this beautiful planet

在这个动荡的时刻， 在这个美丽的星球上，

in this crazy moment

in our era of untethered human creativity

在人类的创造力不受拘束、

and unprecedented environmental emergency.

环境问题史无前例地迫在眉睫的时代 努力生存的故事。

Now those would be ideas worth spreading.

这些都是值得传播的想法。 （TED 主旨）

(Chirping sounds)

（啁啾声）

(Applause)

（掌声）