WikiIndaba 2023/Submissions/MMS Meta: How Can Artificial Intelligence Serve Wiki in Oral African Languages?
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Full recording of the session (in English)
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French interpretation of the session
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MMS Meta: How Can Artificial Intelligence Serve Wiki in Oral African Languages? | ||
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| Author(s): AyourAchtouk | Username(s): AyourAchtouk | Type of submission: Demonstration | |
| Affiliation: Wikimedia MA User Group, Wikimedia Tamazight User Group | Theme(s): Technology, Diversity | ||
| Abstract:
The majority of African languages are primarily spoken and lack a strong tradition of written literature. Furthermore, a significant percentage of the population in Africa is illiterate in their own language, which restricts access to information to a small group of people. Since the main goal of Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects is to make information available to everyone, including those who are illiterate or visually impaired, it becomes essential to explore alternative methods. One such method is providing audio readings of articles. Implementing audio readings of articles is not a new concept and has already been adopted by some Wikipedia editions, such as the Darija Wikipedia. However, in smaller languages where there are fewer contributors and limited resources available for reading and recording all the articles, artificial intelligence can play a crucial role in making this idea a reality. Meta AI's latest text-to-speech technology, known as MMS (Massively Multilingual Speech), has the capability to support 1,100 languages worldwide, including African languages. With this in mind, we can develop a bot script that automates the process of reading articles in a specific Wikipedia, uploading the audio files to a common platform, and adding them to the corresponding articles. This way, Wikipedia users can listen to the articles instead of reading them. To demonstrate the feasibility of this idea, we can start by implementing it on the Tachelhit Wikipedia, showcasing that this approach can be extended to other African languages and small languages worldwide. By utilizing artificial intelligence and the MMS technology, we can make valuable information more accessible to a wider audience and bridge the gap between oral languages and written content. |
Level of advancement: medium to advanced | ||
| Special requirements: | |||
| Extra information: Etherpad | |||
| How will this session be beneficial for the communities in the region?
Community engagement and participation, Preservation of oral languages, Accessibility by providing audio versions of articles. | |||
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