Indigenous Engineers Harness AI to Preserve Endangered Languages and Cultural Heritage

In a race against time, indigenous researchers are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to preserve Native American languages, which are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to Michael Running Wolf, founder of Indigenous in AI, an international community of Native, Aboriginal, and First Nations engineers, one Indigenous language dies every two weeks with its last speaker. "Within the next five to 10 years, we’ll lose most of the Native American languages in the U.S.," Running Wolf warns.

The stakes are high. Languages are more than just a means of communication; they carry the cultural heritage and identity of communities that have thrived for centuries. Losing a language is like losing a piece of history, a way of understanding the world, and a connection to ancestors. This is why Running Wolf has dedicated his career to preventing this loss.

Running Wolf leads First Languages AI Reality, an initiative by the Mila-Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute. The project aims to build speech recognition models for over 200 endangered Indigenous languages in North America. However, the journey is fraught with challenges, the most significant being a severe shortage of Indigenous computer scientists who understand both the language and the culture.

"Indigenous scientists know to respect the data itself," Running Wolf emphasizes. "The core data we use isn’t just tweets or social media posts; it’s deeply culturally identifying information from speakers who may have passed away. We need to make sure that the community is always retaining their relationship to the data."

Despite the critical importance of this work, Indigenous representation in tech and AI remains alarmingly low. Indigenous people make up less than 0.005% of the tech workforce in the U.S., hold only 0.4% of bachelor’s degrees in computer science every year, and have just one board member at the top 200 tech companies. In 2022, Native American AI scientists were even more scarce, with Running Wolf encountering only about a dozen Indigenous North American AI scientists throughout his career.

"We only graduate one or two Indigenous Ph.D.s in AI and computer science every year," he said, highlighting the urgent need for increased investment in education and training programs to bridge this gap.

First Languages AI Reality is not just about preserving languages; it's about empowering communities to take control of their cultural heritage. The project involves working closely with indigenous communities to ensure that the data used is collected ethically and with consent. This approach respects the sovereignty and dignity of these communities, ensuring that the technology serves rather than exploits them.

The benefits of this work are multifaceted. By preserving languages, AI can help revitalize cultural practices, strengthen community bonds, and provide a sense of identity for younger generations. Additionally, it can contribute to academic research, linguistics, and even improve natural language processing (NLP) models, making them more inclusive and diverse.

However, the risks are also significant. If not handled with care, AI could perpetuate historical injustices by misusing or misrepresenting cultural data. It's crucial that any AI project involving indigenous languages is guided by community leaders and follows ethical guidelines to protect against these potential pitfalls.

Running Wolf’s work at First Languages AI Reality is a beacon of hope for the future. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep cultural respect, he and his team are paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable world where indigenous languages and cultures can thrive alongside modern advancements.