AI tool ‘Fanar’ Aims to Protect the Arabic Language in the Digital World

Doha, Qatar: An exploratory session held on the first day of the inaugural BilAraby Summit an initiative of Qatar Foundation to re establish the Ara...

Doha, Qatar: An exploratory session held on the first day of the inaugural BilAraby Summit – an initiative of Qatar Foundation to re-establish the Arabic language as a driver of innovation and creativity in the modern age – highlighted ‘Fanar’ which aims to protect the Arabic language in the age of artificial intelligence.

Fanar is an artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed by Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Dr. Mohamed Eltabakh, Principal Scientist at QCRI, highlighted that this project aims to revive and preserve the Arabic language in the digital age.

“With the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022, it was clear that it would have a tremendous impact across various fields, including medicine, education, health, the judiciary, and the media. This technology stood out from all its predecessors for its generative capabilities and interactive nature.

“However, studies have shown that these language models, despite their sophistication, carry a significant risk of bias. They tend to favor English over Arabic, thus reflecting Western cultures and excluding other cultures, particularly Arab and Islamic culture. Furthermore, the training methods for these models often do not align with the specific requirements and needs of Arab societies.”