Language will play a key role in AI models, says Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Language's crucial role in AI models highlighted at the International Tamil Computing Conference, focusing on Tamil's advancement in technology.

Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Thursday said that language would play a key role in Artificial Intelligence (AI) models.

Tamil has a rich history. It has to be at the forefront in our journey of embracing emerging technologies, he said, inaugurating the three-day International Tamil Computing Conference ‘KaniTamil24’, organised by the State government and Tamil Virtual Academy, Chennai. “We are going to operate AI and benefit from it through language. The conference is held with a focus on preparing ourselves and our language towards technological advancements,” he said.

Tamil Nadu is hosting India’s first-ever conference on language technology in the era of AI. An announcement regarding the conference was made in the State Budget for 2023-24, he added.

He further said: “It is said that AI will enable performing unimaginable tasks in the future. When technology grows, and if we get the required data on Tamil language, we will get more benefits. We need to discuss the huge volume of data required about Tamil and decide on the future course of action...”

The Minister recalled that the conference was being organised 25 years after the TamilNet99 conference — held when M. Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister — that resulted in the formation of Tamil Virtual Academy. “We cannot rest by speaking about the past laurels of the Tamil language. We should look to strengthen it further, keeping pace with the current times,” he said.

Tamil Virtual Academy also signed a memorandum of understanding with AI Singapore. Darius Liu, head of strategy, Partnerships & Growth, AI Singapore, said that the organisation was working with the Tamil Nadu government and Tamil Virtual Academy. Singapore AI has developed a large language model SEA-LION (Southeast Asian Languages in One Network), and is working with the State to enhance the model’s Tamil capability through sharing of data on Tamil language, knowledge and continuous feedback through real world use cases, he said.Tamil, among other South East Asian languages, is under-represented in today’s generic AI, Mr. Liu said added.