LIVE FROM ORANGE OPENTECH 2024, PARIS: Open-source AI LLMs from Meta Platforms and OpenAI will be trained to run some regional languages in Africa under an initiative announced by Orange.

Under the project, OpenAI’s Whisper speech-based model and Meta Platform’s Llama 3.1 will be tuned to cover languages traditionally not included in AI models, a move the operator positioned as accelerating digital inclusion.

The first two languages will be Wolof and Pulaar, spoken by 16 million and 6 million people, respectively, in West Africa.

Announcing the plan, Orange highlighted an intent 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”.  

The project is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2025, with the operator’s ultimate ambition of extended it to all languages spoken across the operator’s footprint in Africa.

Orange plans to work with other AI providers on extending the range of models able to work in local languages.

Colin Jarvis, head of AI solution architecture and strategics at OpenAI, highlighted the organisation’s vision is to “make sure the benefits of AI are broadly distributed across humanity and ensuring populations that didn’t have access to AI because of what language they speak is part of that”.