OpenAI, Meta, and Orange to launch AI training for African languages
OpenAI, Meta Platforms, and Orange have announced a collaborative effort to address the lack of artificial intelligence (AI) models for African languages, starting with the West African languages of Wolof and Pulaar.
OpenAI, Meta, and Orange to launch AI training for African languages
OpenAI, Meta Platforms, and Orange have announced a collaborative effort to address the lack of artificial intelligence (AI) models for African languages, starting with the West African languages of Wolof and Pulaar.
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This initiative, set to launch in the first half of 2025, aims to enhance AI’s capabilities to support Africa’s rich linguistic diversity, which includes thousands of dialects spoken across the continent.
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With Africa home to about a third of the world’s languages, many of these dialects have been under-represented in AI training.
This project will begin by focusing on Wolof and Pulaar, spoken by over 22 million people in West Africa, with plans to expand to other key African languages such as Swahili, Lingala, and Bambara in the near future.
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The initiative aims to empower African communities by making AI technologies more inclusive and accessible. Orange, leveraging its vast infrastructure across Europe and Africa, will provide the necessary cloud capacity and data centres for model training. Additionally, the telecom giant plans to offer these AI models for free public services, including health and education, as well as to support local businesses.
Orange’s chief AI officer, Steve Jarrett, emphasised the project’s potential to benefit underserved populations, including illiterate communities, who have historically been excluded from the digital and AI revolution. By expanding AI access to these communities, the companies hope to foster greater inclusion and economic empowerment.
As part of the partnership, OpenAI will grant Orange early access to its AI models, enabling the company to develop advanced AI use cases, such as voice-based customer interactions and enhanced data processing capabilities. This pioneering collaboration represents a significant step forward in making AI more relevant and beneficial to Africa’s diverse populations.
Source: techfocus24.com
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