In case you didn’t know, Google really takes its language combinations seriously. Now, there is more and more news about how the company is using artificial intelligence technology and more to expand its product portfolio.
The company has set a goal of 1,000 languages to build a new AI model that will support some of the most commonly used languages in the world so that information can be easily accessed.
As a senior executive at Google mentioned, language is an important aspect of how people communicate and function in the world. Overall, around 7000 different languages are spoken worldwide, and only a few are ultimately represented in the correct context.
With so many ambitious undertakings in this universe, Google sees this as the right project that will take a few years to complete and achieve, but it is confident it will achieve its goals.
Google has created a new general-purpose speech model, typically trained in about 400 different languages, which provides a lot of coverage when it comes to speech models. We’re seeing the tech giant join forces with more communities to capture voice-related data.
We’re sure Google’s attempts to expand its language capabilities are nothing new. We’ve seen the tech company add about 24 new languages to Google Translate, and it’s also allowing voice typing in nearly 9 African languages on its Gboard.
Likewise, we got word on how the search engine giant is working with various NGOs and different academic institutions to collect audio samples related to different dialects in the region.
Many other big tech companies are creating large language models. We saw in July how the company came up with a new AI model, dubbed “Don’t Leave Languages Behind,” that could eventually translate over 200 different languages.
These new efforts by Meta even come up with the idea of adding content to communities that are not well represented on the web. Keep in mind that Meta currently has AI models translated into about 55 different African languages. This is undoubtedly a huge improvement.
Remember, today, fewer than 25 African languages are supported by many translation tools, so having 55 is a major achievement.
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