Post by : Shakul
Google.org has awarded US$1 million in funding to Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) to support a major research initiative aimed at addressing the global “data divide” in artificial intelligence. The project will be led by Dr Thamar Solorio, Vice Provost of Faculty Excellence and Advancement and Professor of Natural Language Processing at the university.
The initiative focuses on improving AI performance for underrepresented and low-resource languages, particularly those spoken across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). While most AI language models are trained on data-rich Western languages, they often fail to capture the linguistic complexity, dialectal diversity, and cultural nuance of MENA languages. The research aims to build AI systems that are natively grounded in the sociocultural realities of the region rather than adapted from Western-centric models.
A key component of the project is the development of “resource-lean” AI frameworks that require less annotated data and lower computational power. This approach is designed to make advanced AI development more accessible to local institutions, startups, and researchers, supporting innovation without heavy infrastructure or capital investment.
Beyond technical innovation, the funding will help train a new generation of researchers by supporting postdoctoral fellows and early-career scientists at MBZUAI. The initiative is expected to deliver real-world impact in areas such as education, digital communication, and cultural preservation, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s growing role as a global hub for inclusive and responsible artificial intelligence research.
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