OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., and French telecom giant Orange SA have partnered to develop artificial intelligence (AI) models for African languages, addressing the scarcity of AI systems tailored for the continent’s linguistic diversity.
According to a joint statement released on Tuesday, the initiative will commence in the first half of 2025, starting with two widely spoken West African languages: Wolof and Pulaar.
The initial phase will target Wolof and Pulaar, spoken by approximately 22 million people across West Africa.
Steve Jarrett, Chief AI Officer at Orange, views the initiative as a model for making AI accessible to underserved and illiterate populations, ensuring its benefits reach those currently excluded
“We see the initiative as a blueprint for how AI can be used to benefit those currently excluded
Orange’s vision is to make AI and other related advances accessible to all, including illiterate populations who are currently unable to benefit from the potential of artificial intelligence,”
Orange intends to use these language models for customer engagement across its 18 markets in the Middle East and Africa. Beyond this, the models will be made available for public health, education services, and local businesses.
Expanding to more African languages
The collaboration plans to scale its scope by incorporating other sub-Saharan languages such as Lingala, Swahili, and Bambara. This expansion is slated for the latter half of 2025.
Jarrett explained that ”by extending this project to more African languages, we aim to bridge linguistic gaps, ensuring AI tools support local populations effectively”
- Orange will leverage its cloud infrastructure in Europe and Africa, alongside its local data centers, to train the AI models. While the company has not disclosed the specific data sources for training, it affirmed its reliance on public cloud capacity and proprietary systems to drive the initiative.
- As part of the partnership, OpenAI will provide Orange with early access to its advanced AI models, enabling the development of AI-powered voice interactions for customer engagement.
Additionally, OpenAI will offer data-processing and hosting support through its European data centers.
What you should know
Africa is home to one-third of the world’s languages, yet its linguistic diversity is largely excluded from AI language models due to limited funding and inadequate infrastructure. The initiative aims to ensure African languages and communities benefit from advancements in AI.
The Nigerian government aims to add $15 billion to the economy by 2030, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the country’s youthful population. Supported by a N2.8 billion Google grant, the initiative includes training 25,000 teachers to educate 125,000 youths on AI, aligning with the National AI Strategy to equip 70% of young Nigerians with AI skills.
Lagos State has announced plans to introduce Nigeria’s first AI guidelines, focusing on the responsible use of technology. The guidelines, developed in collaboration with the Federal AI Collective, are expected to be finalized by the first or second quarter of next year.
