Wales has joined forces with OpenAI to enhance technology for the Welsh language, aiming to boost the number of Welsh speakers in the country. The Welsh government believes that leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) can play a crucial role in achieving its target of one million Welsh speakers and increasing the language’s usage by 2050.
The new partnership with OpenAI will involve the construction of open data archives to contribute valuable data to the research community. This initiative aims to enhance the linguistic capabilities of AI models and applications in Welsh. Cabinet secretary Jeremy Miles expressed enthusiasm about this collaboration, highlighting the importance of utilizing technology to support the government’s goals.
In the coming weeks, the Welsh government plans to introduce a Welsh Language Education Bill to empower students to become proficient Welsh speakers independently. Technology will play a significant role in the implementation of this bill, with a focus on enhancing language transmission within families and communities.
In 2018, the Welsh government unveiled a Welsh-language technology action plan to ensure the language’s integration into various contexts through technological advancements. The plan emphasizes the development of Welsh-language digital infrastructure, including speech-to-text, machine translation, relevant corpora, big datasets, and machine learning tools.
OpenAI has been actively involved in supporting the Welsh-language technology action plan, contributing to the creation of an open-source dataset for training language models. Anna Makanju, vice-president of global affairs at OpenAI, praised the partnership with the Welsh government, emphasizing the importance of understanding diverse languages and cultures to benefit a wide range of individuals.
Overall, the collaboration between Wales and OpenAI signifies a significant step towards advancing Welsh language technology and promoting linguistic diversity. With a focus on leveraging AI capabilities, the initiative aims to pave the way for increased Welsh language usage and accessibility across various sectors.
