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Nigerian Blockchain Leader Backs AI to Save African Languages — TradingView News
Lucky Uwakwe, Chairman of the Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BICCoN), has stressed the importance of using artificial intelligence (AI) to preserve endangered African languages.
In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, Uwakwe stressed the urgent need to protect languages, as fewer and fewer people speak them due to various socio-economic factors. Uwakwe pointed to the example of languages in Nigeria’s Plateau State, where insecurity has displaced communities, causing their languages to disperse and decline.
Using Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain
According to Uwakwe, the goal is to ensure that no language is lost or becomes extinct. He said that technological advances such as artificial intelligence and blockchain could be crucial to achieving this goal. Uwakwe also highlighted a significant gap in language support provided by global tech giants:
“For example, in Nigeria, Google offers translations for only 3-4 languages (Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin) out of over 100 languages. The rest are almost dying because software developers do not have training models to support them in creating new applications.”
However, this situation is not unique to Nigeria; it reflects a broader challenge that affects many African languages. To address this issue, Uwakwe advocates the use of AI and blockchain technologies to preserve and restore endangered languages.