Inuktitut AI developers say language tools must stay community-owned
Northern developers are building translation tools trained with community input as global labs debate slowing AI.
Developers across Inuit Nunangat are continuing community-led efforts to build Inuktitut-language AI tools, CBC North reported on Sunday.
Robin Anawak, an Iqaluit-based researcher developing a learning translation tool called Eskimo AI, said there is a lack of accurate Inuktitut representation online. "I think the potential for AI in helping more people learn Inuktitut and then being able to access the internet and digital media is enormous," he said.
Ali Mehdi, senior director of Heritage Lab in Nunavik, said communities were not given a choice about having their language data in mainstream systems, which can produce poor Inuktitut output. Heritage Lab has developed an Inuktitut translation tool created with community members to ensure accuracy.
Statistics Canada data show younger Inuit were less likely to speak Inuktitut very well in 2022 than in 2017, CBC reported.
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