ERhawutini, 15 Okthoba 2025 – uGoogle, ebambisene nePan South African Language Board (PanSALB), ukhulule iNgcaciso yamaGama entsha efumaneka ngesiZulu, isiXhosa nangesiBhulu, ebonelela izigidi zabemi boMzantsi Afrika ngezixhobo zolwimi ezibanceda basebenzise ubukrelekrele bobugcisa ngolwimi lwabo lwenkobe.
Le ngcaciso yamagama ikhululwe kwiiofisi zikaGoogle eziseMzantsi Afrika eRhawutiini, apho abameli bePan South African Language Board, iSebe lezeMidlalo, uBugcisa neNkcubeko, iSebe leMfundo eSisiseko, iSebe leMfundo ePhakamileyo neSABC bebekunye nezifundiswa, abaguquleli neengcali zolwimi. Lo msitho uquke ingxoxo ngendlela iilwimi zaseAfrika ezinokukwazi ngayo ukulungela ukusetyenziswa kwezobugcisa.
Ingcaciso yamagama icacisa amagama ayi100 asetyenziswa kwiAI ngokuqhelekileyo, ibe intsingiselo yawo ifumaneka ngazo zontathu iilwimi. Le projekthi yakhela phezu kwesiseko ebesele sibekiwe sokuvelisa inguqulelo yesiSwahili eyenzelwe iMpuma Afrika kwaye yinxalenye yentsebenziswano ebanzi phakathi koGoogle namaqabane aseAfrika yokwenza ubugcisa buquke wonke umntu kuze kuvalwe umsantsa obangelwa bubugcisa kubantu ekuqikelelwa ukuba bazizigidi eziyi266 abathetha ezilwimi zine kulo lonke ilizwekazi.
Phakathi kwamagama acaciswayo ziingcamango ezifana nokuncokola neAI – iinkqubo ezilinganisa incoko ephakathi kwabantu zisebenzisa intetho eqhelekileyo – nehallucination eyimpendulo eveliswa yi-AI equlethe inkcazelo engeyonyani okanye elahlekisayo eboniswe njengenyaniso. Amanye amagama afana nokufunda ngokusebenza (active learning) nenkcazelo eninzi engelo ncedo (noisy data), acacisa indlela abaqeqeshwa ngayo oomatshini baze baphuculwe ngokunxibelelana nabo nangokuhluza inkcazelo,
EAfrika, isiNgesi lulwimi olusetyenziswa kakhulu kubugcisa nenzululwazi, nto leyo eyenza kube nzima ngabantu abangathethi siNgesi ukuba babe nenxaxheba kwiingxoxo ezimalunga nobugcisa obutsha. Ngokucacisa amagama angundoqo asetyenziswa kwiAI ngeelwimi zasekuhlaleni, ingcaciso yamagama inceda ekuvaleni lo msantsa, inika abantu amagama abanokuwasebenzisa ngokuzithemba xa bethetha ngobugcisa obutsha naxa bexhasa abavelisi besoftwe, ootishala, abaguquleli nabantu abaqhelekileyo.
Ingcaciso yamagama iveliswe ngenkqubo ebinentsebenziswano kakhulu. UGoogle, esebenzisana noTwaweza Communications nePanSALB, uye wabamba iingxoxo neentlanganiso nabantu abaziingcali zolwimi, ababhali bolwimi, iingcali zeAI nabanomdla abavela kwezemfundo nzulu nakurhulumente. Le nkqubo ithathe iintsuku eziliqela, iqinisekise ukuba amagama awaguqulelwa nje, kodwa enziwe aqheleka aza afanela ulwimi ngalunye ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuchaneka nokufaneleka ngokwenkcubeko.
UKabelo Makwane, oyiGoogle Country Director nomela uGoogle uthi iprojekthi ekumila kunje ibonisa into enokuphunyezwa xa iinkampani zobugcisa namaziko olwimi esebenzisana. UMakwane uthe, “Sifuna wonke umntu abe namagama ukuze aqonde aze abe negalelo kubugcisa obutshintsha ihlabathi.”
ULance Shultz, ingqonyela yakwaPanSALB uthe intsebenziswano ibonisa ukuba ukuphuhliswa kolwimi nouphuculwa kobugcisa kunako ukuhambelana. “Injongo yethu kukuqinisekisa ukuba iilwimi zaseMzantsi Afrika azifi, zihlala zisebenziseka kwaye ziyatshintsha,” ugalele watsho. “Ngokwenza kubekho amagama aqhelekileyo asetyenziswa kwiAI, sinceda iilwimi zethu zihambelane namaxesha kwaye siqinisekisa ukuba abantu abazithethayo abashiyeki kwingxoxo yobugcisa eqhutywa kwihlabathi liphela.”
Ingcaciso yamagama ifumaneka kanye ngoku kwaye iza kufumaneka simahla kuluntu jikelele. Iza kuba yimbekiselo kuye nabani na osebenza kwezemfundo, kwezokuguqulela okanye kubugcisa ibe iza kuxhasa iinzame eziqhubekayo zokukhuthaza ukuqukwa kolwimi kulo lonke ilizwekazi.
Kangangexesha eliphantse ibe lishumi leminyaka, uGoogle ebeyinkampani ephambili kwiAI kwaye uqhubeka etyala imali ekuphuhlisweni okufanelekileyo kweAI okubonisa izinto eziphambili kuthi kwindawo esikuyo. Ngamaphulo afana neNgcaciso yamagama asetyenziswa kwiAI, inkampani izama ukuqinisekisa ukuba wonke umntu uyaxhamla ngokuhambela phambili kobugcisa kwanokuba amazwi abantu baseAfrika ayamelwa kwikamva lobugcisa.
