AI4D African Languages Lab

 

This project is a part of the AI4D program, a five-year partnership between IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to support policy, innovations and expanded leadership to spur safe and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development and use in Africa. The vision of the new partnership is to support an inclusive, responsible AI ecosystem that improves quality of life for all in Africa and beyond.

The ability to engage with users in their local languages unlocks a wide range of potential inclusive AI solutions in education, health, agriculture, service delivery and more. However, there are constraints that hold back the ability of AI innovators to take advantage of natural language processing (NLP) to develop locally applicable AI solutions. These include insufficient data for better training or fine-tuning models for African languages, challenges with accessing resources for other researchers interested in African NLP, and a lack of evaluation tools to understand the limitations of African language use by AI.

This project will work to address these challenges. Its overall objective is to unlock the potential of African-language-based AI applications to address development challenges. Specifically, the language lab seeks to improve understanding of bias and inclusivity in AI by evaluating them across various African languages; improve data availability for evaluation and fine-tuning specific to African languages; strengthen capacity for low-resource NLP through training and mentorship programs; and influence policy and practice by hosting equitable licensing discussions, supporting legal researchers and engaging with policymakers.