Artificial intelligence is stepping up as an unlikely hero to protect endangered Indigenous languages from disappearing forever. In recent initiatives, AI focused on Indigenous languages is gaining attention as a powerful tool in language preservation efforts.
What’s Happening: A Silent Crisis Meets a Digital Solution
Around the world, over 7,000 languages exist—but nearly half are at risk of extinction by the end of this century. In this alarming reality, AI initiatives for Indigenous languages are emerging as a tool of hope and preservation, showcasing AI’s potential in safeguarding Indigenous languages.
From New Zealand to Nigeria, communities are integrating machine learning, voice recognition, and language modeling. They aim to record, revive, and teach ancestral languages that oral traditions alone can no longer sustain.
How AI is Being Used: From Māori ASR to African Language Chatbots
In New Zealand, Te Hiku Media’s groundbreaking work on Māori ASR led to a 92% accurate automatic speech recognition model for Te Reo Māori. The organization advocates for indigenous data sovereignty. This ensures that communities retain ownership of the digital footprints of their culture.
Similarly, in Brazil, IBM Research is building AI writing assistants for endangered languages with local communities. These tools do more than translate—they validate the presence of Indigenous languages within AI frameworks, presenting opportunities for AI designed for Indigenous languages.
In the U.S., Michael Running Wolf, a Northern Cheyenne engineer, leads efforts to encode disappearing Native American languages using natural language processing. His work complements efforts by the FirstVoices platform in Canada. This platform provides tools for recording and teaching Indigenous dialects through community-led digital archives.
These examples illustrate a new global frontier: AI as cultural protector.
The Ethical Dilemma: Ownership, Representation & Digital Colonization
Yet as with any powerful tool, AI brings risks. Many machine learning systems are built on assumptions from dominant languages like English and Mandarin. As noted in Western Digital’s report on ethical AI, this can impose incompatible grammatical structures or meanings onto Indigenous expressions.
Additionally, the question of who owns linguistic data is key. Without protective frameworks, well-meaning projects may repeat past injustices—this time in a digital context. Ethical concerns around AI in culture emphasize the need for community-controlled digital initiatives, where AI efforts supporting Indigenous languages are managed locally, not top-down technology deployments.
Building the Future: Tech-Empowered Youth and Community Projects
Real progress comes from within. Grassroots tech training—like the Lakota AI Code Camp—empowers Indigenous youth to become developers and guardians of their own languages, fostering expertise in AI applications for Indigenous languages.
In Nigeria, the Centre for Digitization of Indigenous African Languages (CDIAL) launched Indigenius Mobile. It is a chatbot capable of holding conversations in 180 African languages. Its purpose? Everyday access to Indigenous voices in a world rapidly turning to digital interfaces.
These projects show that the best AI for Indigenous languages is indeed AI designed by Indigenous hands—an insight that should guide all future interventions.
What’s Next: From Innovation to Inclusion
As interest in cultural preservation grows, we must move from isolated innovation to structured inclusion. Institutions and governments should:
- Invest in local AI education programs
- Partner with Indigenous councils on data governance
- Integrate AI language tools in public education systems
For ongoing updates and analysis of AI supporting Indigenous languages, follow our Tech + Culture coverage and explore regional stories in Everyana
Why It Matters
Languages are more than communication—they’re identity, memory, and worldview. Through AI, we have the opportunity to not only document dying tongues but to revive them with voice and agency. AI serves as a vital ally in preserving Indigenous languages.
As more communities begin coding their futures, one truth becomes clear. Technology, when ethically aligned, can be a vessel of cultural healing—not erasure.
