The Federal Government has introduced the inaugural multilingual large language model as part of its efforts to advance artificial intelligence initiatives. This announcement was made by the Communications Minister, Bosun Tijani, via X (formerly Twitter).
This advanced artificial intelligence system, known as the Multilingual Large Language Model, possesses the ability to comprehend, process, and generate text in various languages.
The launch of this language model occurred during a 4-day AI workshop held in Abuja, where over 120 AI experts convened to collaborate and accelerate AI development in Nigeria. Tijani emphasized that the language model would receive training in five low-resource languages and accented English, ensuring a more robust representation of languages in existing datasets.
Furthermore, he detailed that the project would receive support from over 7,000 fellows from the @3MTTNigeria programme. Developed through partnerships with both local and global tech companies, this AI tool is expected to significantly impact AI solutions within Nigeria and globally.
In addition to the language model launch, the minister announced the reestablishment of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, in collaboration with Cisco, a prominent cybersecurity firm. This initiative, the first of its kind in Africa, aims to promote research and development in emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and the Internet of Things, focusing on areas relevant to Nigeria’s national interests.
Tijani emphasized that enhancing the capabilities of NCAIR would enable it to better fulfill its role as a hub for digital innovation and research.
Moreover, with a key focus on Artificial Intelligence for Development, the Ministry spearheaded the development of Nigeria’s national Artificial Intelligence Strategy. This collaborative effort involved working closely with local and international partners, experts, and stakeholders to co-create a comprehensive framework for the future of AI in Nigeria. During this process, significant announcements were made, and additional partnerships were forged, marking significant strides in advancing Nigeria’s AI journey.
Additionally, in line with efforts to enhance infrastructure development, extensive engagements were conducted with heads of Agencies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Galaxy Backbone Limited. These discussions aimed at improving overall service quality and ensuring that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support Nigeria’s technological advancement.