SOAS GSMA Workshop: Exploring African language models

There has been tremendous progress in the development of large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications over the last decades. However, the majority of work has focussed on a small number of well-described, mainly European languages. Yet in order to fully harness the advantages of the AI revolution, no language should be left behind – including African languages.

Africa is home to about 2,000 languages, ranging from major world languages like Swahili to many underdescribed community languages. In this workshop we explore aspects of LLM and AI for and based on African languages, bringing together AI researchers, linguists, translators, computer scientists and practitioners to exchange experiences and views for a mutually enriching dialogue, leading to a fuller understanding of the current state of the art, conceptual and practical challenges, and theoretical and methodological underpinnings of African languages and AI.

Organiser

This workshop is organised jointly by SOAS and GSMA, with event organisers including Dr Ida Hadjivayanis (SOAS), Prof Lutz Marten (SOAS), Louis Powell (GSMA) and Thomas Summers (SOAS).

Register for this event

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