Session
Organizer 1: Claire van Zwieten, Internet Society Foundation
Organizer 2: Shifa Sorene Assefa , UNECA
Organizer 3: Jesse Nathan Kalange, Internet Society Uganda Chapter
Organizer 4: Athanase Bahizire, Youth IGF DRC
Speaker 1: ABRAHAM SELBY, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 2: Ida Padikuor Na-Tei , Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 3: Shifa Sorene Assefa , Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Jesse Nathan Kalange, Civil Society, African Group
Athanase Bahizire, Technical Community, African Group
Claire van Zwieten, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Classroom
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: We aim for the format of this session to be led by two individuals, but open to conversation from the participants. Given this, we find that having the two people at the front, and everyone else seated, will lend to the kind of conversation and input we are seeking from our participants. The classroom layout, somewhat in-between a roundtable and a theater, promotes open communication between speakers and participants, while allowing speakers to call on those who would like to speak to maintain order.
What measures should be taken to address the digital language divide and ensure equal access to AI technologies for speakers of all languages? How can we ensure that AI models trained on multilingual data represent diverse languages, cultures, and dialects without perpetuating biases through discriminatory language models and biased content moderation algorithms? How can governments, industry, academia, and language communities collaborate to advance multilingual AI research and development?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain insight into how the use of large language models can increase Internet inclusion by allowing users to access content in their local language. Digital literacy campaigns are only as useful as their participant’s Internet access, and participants will gain an understanding of how multilingual inclusion through AI can increase collaboration, cooperation, and access in and between communities of various languages.
Description:
One of the challenges of expanding Internet access is the availability of content in local languages. Working towards the sub-theme of Advancing Human Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age, the AI for Multilingual Inclusion workshop will discuss the expansion of Internet access through greater language inclusion. Through the use of multilingual AI systems, we can engage digitally isolated populations and grant them equal access to information. In turn, this bolsters digital literacy education efforts by making the Internet’s content available to everyone.
We expect participants of this session to leave with a greater understanding of how lack of access due to linguistic differences can lead to a host of societal issues and foster disconnection in communities. Those who attend will be able to more confidently contribute AI conversations in the future, particularly when discussing how AI can increase content accessibility. Furthermore, feedback from the session will be turned into a report and made available to the IGF community. Some of the questions or comments from the audience will influence the Internet Society Alumni Network's priorities and events.
Hybrid Format: The session will alternate between on-site speakers and online speakers, ensuring equal opportunities for participation and interaction. The onsite moderator will start the session by introducing the onsite speakers and give the floor to the online moderator to introduce the online speakers. Each speaker will be allocated 5 minutes for introductory remarks, followed by 15 minutes of questions from both onsite and online participants. Then the speakers will engage in 15 minutes of moderated discussion, then 10 minutes for questions followed by a wrap-up by onsite and online moderators. We will use dynamic presentations and other online tools and platforms, including a shared Google Doc to collect further insight and comments that may not be addressed due to time constraints to increase engagement and participation during the session, including real-time polls, questions and answers activities.
Report
Artificial Intelligence is an important asset needed to increase the accessibility of the Internet.
The only way to solve the disparity before we leave the AI hype age is to create more local language content to increase data sets of minority languages.
By promoting multilingualism, one is also promoting access. We need materials and support in multiple languages to make Internet multilingualism a reality.
If you speak a language underrepresented on the Internet, it is crucial that you find ways to get your language on the Internet. Write a blog, talk to your family about your lineage, and post content however, and whenever you can in your local language. Increasing the data sets used to train AI in various languages is virtually the only way to increase the ability for AI to learn.