Read Zuck's Lips: Facebook Plans to Build AI-Powered 'Universal Speech Translator'
Facebook (now known as Meta) has plans to develop an AI research project to create language translation software that works for “everyone in the world.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: “The ability to communicate with anyone in any language — that’s a superpower people have dreamed of forever, and AI is going to deliver that within our lifetimes.” The Verge reports that Facebook has announced a new AI research project that aims to develop translation software that works for “everyone in the world.” The project was revealed at an event focusing on the benefits that Facebook believes AI can offer in the future. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) During the online presentation, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated: “The ability to communicate with anyone in any language — that’s a superpower people have dreamed of forever, and AI is going to deliver that within our lifetimes.” Meta noted that while languages such as English, Mandarin, and Spanish are currently well supported by translation tools, around 20 percent of the world’s population do not speak the languages covered by these tools. Google Translate, while popular, appears to have a few gaps in the number of languages it offers to users. Facebook claims it wants to overcome the challenges of adding new languages to existing translation systems.
The internet giant’s plan is called “No Language Left Behind” which will focus on building AI models that can learn to translate languages using fewer learning examples.
The second part is called the “Universal Speech Translator” and will aim to build systems that directly translate speech in real-time. Facebook made a blog post announcing the news but researchers have not yet offered a timeframe for project completion.
The company did highlight the benefits of such a system, stating: “Eliminating language barriers would be profound, making it possible for billions of people to access information online in their native or preferred language. Advances in [machine translation] won’t just help those people who don’t speak one of the languages that dominates the internet today; they’ll also fundamentally change the way people in the world connect and share ideas.” Read more at the Verge here. Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com.
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