Google makes massive commitment to support more languages using AI

To bring information to more people across the globe, Google will build an AI model that can support 1,000 languages.

At an AI keynote event in New York City today, Google announced its intention of expanding its already expansive language portfolio by ten-fold utilizing artificial intelligence.

The 1,000 Languages Initiative is Google’s commitment to build an AI model that supports the 1,000 most spoken languages across the globe to make information more accessible.

« Language is fundamental to how people communicate and make sense of the world, » said Jeff Dean, Google Senior Fellow. « But more than 7,000 languages are spoken around the world, and only a few are well represented online today. »

Since the undertaking is extremely ambitious, the project will likely take many years to see fruition. However, Google is already working on reaching its goal.

The tech-giant developed a Universal Speech Model (USM) that is trained on over 400 languages, making it the most coverage in a speech model to date, according to a blog post. Google is also partnering with communities around the world to source speech data.

Google’s attention to expanding its language capabilities is nothing new. Recently, Google added 24 more languages to its Google Translate platform and enabled voice typing for nine more African languages on Gboard.

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