All around Boston at night, tiny hot mics are capturing hours of conversations under the radar. Scientists comb through the recordings, with AI making the job easier.
Rest easy — your secrets aren’t the juicy stuff they’re after.
The scientists are recording the city’s rats. The system detects and removes human speech, leaving the researchers to focus on rodent chatter.
The project is a collaboration between Basis, a nonprofit that uses AI to tackle complex problems, and Boston city officials, with assistant commissioner of environmental services John Ulrich and his team at the helm.
By matching recorded rat calls with video of their behavior, the team hopes to uncover how the rodents interact and navigate their surroundings — knowledge that could help the city prevent infestations rather than respond after they take hold
