AI won't save dying languages but community efforts might

AI tools are letting down people who use less popular languages

- CATHERINE THORBECKE

The United Nations estimates that some 40% of languages spoken around the world face extinction.

Can artificial intelligence (AI) slow this trend? As much as global tech giants like to think so, the reality is not that simple. The recent crop of Generative AI tools has shown a remarkable ability to break down language and cultural barriers. But there are major gaps when it comes to understanding 'low-resource languages,' such as indigenous and regional dialects at risk of dying out, which lack meaningful digital representation. A report from Stanford's Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence found that most major large-language models (LLMs) underperform in non-English and especially in resource-scarce vernacular languages.

This erosion is not only a cultural loss, but a technological blind spot. At the heart of the issue is a lack of quality data. The most powerful LLMs require gargantuan troves of training material, the vast majority of which is in English. Researchers have long lamented how this can result in AI tools homogenizing culture and perpetuating Anglo-centric viewpoints. But there is more at stake when one language becomes dominant.