Technology is usually seen as a tool that alienates us from the natural world and almost desensitizes us to its beauty and uniqueness. However, artificial intelligence looks set to change all that, and smartphone giant Huawei is leading the way in this field, as Huawei Italy recently demonstrated in a rather unique project.
The aim of the Frequency of Love project was to use artificial intelligence to bring us closer to a majestic animal of the ocean, the humpback whale. This marine mammal measures about 16 metres in length on average and weighs around 40 tons.
The humpback whale is well-known for its ‘song’, which can last for up to 20 minutes and can be repeated for hours. The males sing during mating season and their song can be heard by female humpback whales hundreds of kilometres away.
However, this love song is incomprehensible to the human ear. Huawei hoped to translate this song through the universal language of music, and in doing so, create a connection between man, technology and the natural world.
"The Frequency of Love is a sound encounter between technology and nature - a fascinating story of a unique connection - made possible by the Huawei Mate 20’s Kirin 980 dual artificial intelligence processor. This chip allows the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to transform the humpback songs into a melody that people can understand and feel.
"We believe that every love story deserves to be told and the power and extraordinary nature of artificial intelligence technology have made it possible,” explains Akhram Mohamed, Chief Technology Officer at Huawei Consumer Business Group.
For this project, an instrument known as an idrophone, which registers underwater sounds, was used to record the mating call of the humpback whale. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s Kirin 980 processor was then taught to learn to recognise the frequencies of the vocalisations of humpback whales and link each sound automatically to a harmonic progression of music notes that reflected
the whale's song. The AI system then created a melody inspired by the whale’s original song.
The whales’ previously incomprehensible love songs become a song with notes and verses, which convey emotions that humans can relate to.
“Because Huawei is a leader in artificial intelligence, we want to use this technology to its full potential, not just to enhance people’s lives in practical ways with better smartphones, but also to improve awareness of important issues, such as nature conservation.
"By bringing the love story of the whales to a much larger audience in a way that appeals to human emotions, we are able to highlight how extraordinary these animals are and how vital it is that humanity ensures they are protected,” says Mohamed.