South Middlesex Times

Vukosi Marivate, a global leader in teaching machines to process languages, is collaborating with Critical AI @ Rutgers to ensure that no culture is left out of the AI revolution. Marivate, who received his doctoral degree in computer science from Rutgers University, is now chair of data science at University of Pretoria, South Africa. He emphasized the importance of including diverse voices in the advancement of AI, stating, “If you don't take care to have an opportunity to have your voice heard during these big changes, everything happens to you, not with you.”

Marivate's efforts to address AI's ability to process different languages are driven by a sense of urgency to prevent Africa from being left behind in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. He founded the Deep Learning Indaba, an AI grassroots movement that encourages individuals from various backgrounds to contribute to AI development in Africa. Marivate highlighted the richness of African languages and cultures, expressing concern that existing AI technologies often overlook this diversity.

Matthew Stone, a professor at Rutgers, underscored the limitations of current AI models which predominantly rely on data from a few languages such as English, Chinese, and Spanish. The collaboration between Marivate and Rutgers faculty aims to broaden the scope of AI research by incorporating insights from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Lauren M. E. Goodlad, distinguished professor at Rutgers, questioned the potential consequences of excluding diverse cultures from AI development, emphasizing the importance of considering the impact on human creativity and diversity. The upcoming institute, Design Justice AI, scheduled to take place in South Africa in collaboration with Rutgers and other institutions, seeks to foster collaborative research on human-centered AI and address the challenges of linguistic diversity in technology.

Marivate highlighted the significance of grassroots movements and community engagement in driving meaningful change in the field of AI. The upcoming event will not only feature workshops and lectures but also involve the public in activities such as translation, multimedia art, and the training of new language models. Marivate emphasized the power of unity and shared knowledge in shaping the future of technology, stating, “We can start our own movements. We can teach each other. We can do the research together. Through that, we can then change the status quo.”