OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and Orange SA have joined forces to develop artificial intelligence models that can understand and communicate in African languages, addressing the lack of AI models for the continent’s diverse dialects. This groundbreaking initiative will focus on two West African languages, Wolof and Pulaar, spoken by around 22 million people in the region.
According to Steve Jarrett, Orange’s chief artificial intelligence officer, these languages are currently not understood by any existing AI models, making it crucial to bridge this gap. The lack of representation of African languages in AI training data has led to a significant oversight in capturing cultural nuances and regional languages when deploying AI technologies in regions like the Middle East and Africa.
Orange plans to expand the project over time by collaborating with more AI tech companies to create large language models that will cater to its customers across 18 markets in the Middle East and Africa. With Africa being the home to about a third of the world’s languages, incorporating these dialects into AI training models has been challenging due to limited funding and infrastructure.
To support the project, Orange will leverage public cloud capacity in both Europe and Africa, along with its data centers. The company aims to use AI in local languages to enhance customer interactions and plans to offer the technology for free to support public health, education, and local businesses. Additionally, the project will later include other sub-Saharan languages like Lingala, Swahili, and Bambara.
Jarrett emphasized that the initiative aims to make AI accessible to all, including illiterate populations who are currently unable to benefit from the potential of artificial intelligence. As part of the partnership, OpenAI will provide Orange with early access to its AI models, enabling the telecom company to develop use cases such as AI-driven voice interactions with customers.
This collaboration between OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and Orange SA represents a significant step towards making AI more inclusive and beneficial for diverse populations, particularly in regions where language diversity is a crucial factor. The project serves as a blueprint for leveraging AI technologies to empower and support communities that have been historically excluded from technological advancements.
