Te Hiku Media's AI Quest: Saving Argentina's Indigenous Languages

Te Hiku Media's AI-Powered Quest to Save Argentina's Indigenous Languages

In a world where one language vanishes every two weeks, the urgency to preserve indigenous languages is more critical than ever. Argentina, home to 36 recognized indigenous tongues belonging to 38 peoples, faces this challenge head-on. Te Hiku Media, a New Zealand-based broadcaster, is answering the call by using artificial intelligence (AI) to revitalize and circulate these endangered languages.

A Mission to Revive the Past

Te Hiku Media has a rich history of preserving indigenous languages. They have spent over three decades working to revitalize the Māori language, te reo, with remarkable success. Now, they are turning their attention to Argentina, where indigenous languages are struggling to survive.

The project, which aims to rediscover Argentina's indigenous past, uses education policies, new technologies, and social media as strategies to revive and circulate these languages. The goal is to highlight the importance of native languages as part of Argentina's cultural heritage.

Harnessing AI for Language Preservation

Te Hiku Media is creating Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models for Argentina's indigenous languages, ensuring the process is open and ethical to respect data sovereignty. The company is gathering speech data and engaging the community in language revitalization efforts.

According to Te Hiku Media's spokesperson, "We believe that the preservation of indigenous languages is crucial for maintaining cultural diversity and heritage. Our AI-powered models can help transcribe and preserve these languages efficiently and accurately."

A Promising Future for Indigenous Languages

The project has already shown promising results, with nine indigenous languages now in revitalization. This progress emphasizes the continued existence and importance of these linguistic traditions in Argentina's cultural landscape.

As of February 13, 2024, Te Hiku Media's ASR models have achieved high accuracy rates in transcribing indigenous languages and bilingual speech in Spanish and indigenous tongues. This development allows for the swift and efficient preservation of large collections of speech data.

With Te Hiku Media's AI-powered initiative, Argentina's indigenous languages have renewed hope for survival and growth. As the world continues to lose its linguistic diversity, this project serves as a beacon of hope, proving that technology can play a pivotal role in preserving and revitalizing the world's indigenous languages.