There has been a rapid advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the past year. The release of the pioneering AI language model, ChatGPT, has ushered in a revolution. AI has boosted efficiency and transformed user experience across many industries. However, these changes have mostly benefited countries where the native language is adequately supported by the AI. English is the language of choice for most AI tools, stranding speakers of languages such as Arabic on the periphery of this latest tech revolution. This has deepened the already severe digital divide between English and Arabic speakers, and further entrenched disparities in access to information.
The potential of AI to revolutionise communication, content creation, research, and information retrieval has been widely touted. Nevertheless, Arabic speakers find themselves at a disadvantage due to AI tools’ subpar performance in their language. In order to produce human-like text, AI tools use Natural Language Processing (NLP), a method used to train chatbots to generate text responses. NLP involves breaking text into words or phrases (tokenization), analysing grammar (parsing), and processing the meaning of text through semantic analysis using machine learning techniques. English is a well-studied language and developers can draw upon a sizeable pool of material, making NLP simpler for English than for other languages. The disparity is especially clear in the case of Arabic, which has received far less attention from developers.
Arabic poses challenges due to its intricate grammar, varied dialects, and right-to-left writing direction. The scarcity of Arabic data also hinders AI model training, making Arabic NLP more resource-intensive and less accurate. This explains why AI-generated Arabic results are marked by poor quality and can even be wholly erroneous. ChatGPT is an excellent example of the stark contrast in linguistic capabilities, as it struggles to adequately take into account the structure of Arabic in its results. The gap between the quality of Arabic and English AI-generated content is not only visible in terms of syntax or wording, but also in the quality of information, which often lacks nuance and depth.
The linguistic divide extends far beyond ChatGPT: it affects all online content. AI scans predominantly English content, thus excluding content written in other languages from being factored in. All forms of content are affected, from news to educational resources to entertainment. Translation software is not going to come to the rescue either as it is often of poor quality and excluses key nuances in the meaning of text written in Arabic. These technological limitations hinder creativity and innovation across a range of industries working in Arabic, meaning that the Arab world risks falling behind in areas such as marketing, content creation, and customer engagement.
To tackle these difficulties, different stakeholders must work together. First, developers must prioritise putting significant investment into training AI models with high-quality Arabic data. The development of innovative research methodologies and instruments tailored to the special characteristics of the Arabic language is also critical. Collaboration among AI engineers, linguists, language experts, and native speakers can pave the way for improved AI support for Arabic. All parties will need to coordinate their efforts with the private sector and governments across the MENA region.
As AI technology takes on a greater role in shaping societies, fair AI governance will become increasingly important. Developers must prioritise diversity and inclusivity, ensuring that Arabic speakers, and speakers of all major languages, have fair access to AI technologies. Arab governments also bear responsibility in nurturing local talents and investing to attract global experts for the advancement of Arabic Natural Language Processing.
Through leveling the playing field, we can empower Arabic speakers to harness the capabilities of AI for research, innovation, education, and communication. Beyond mere convenience, bridging the linguistic gap is imperative for fostering a more inclusive and just digital environment. In the ongoing quest to unlock AI’s full potential, it is vital to ensure its benefits are accessible to all, across linguistic barriers, in order to promote a more interconnected and equitable world. With around 400 million Arabic speakers, investing in this significant market is also a strategic interest for companies looking to profit from the AI boom.
