Artificial Intelligence could gradually swallow South African languages

It appears that certain languages could be substituted by Artificial Intelligence (AI)… writes Godfrey Sigwela.

Already, computer programs are producing interpretations that are incorrect and spelling errors in words written in one of South Africa’s popular languages, isiXhosa (which is reportedly spoken as a first language by 10 million people in SA, and as a second language by another 11 million).

With incorrect spelling in isiXhoas, it’s not the same case as in the English language, where substituting the letter ‘s’ for ‘z’, for instance, makes little difference to a word’s meaning. With isiXhosa, the computer program is violating the entire spelling and meaning of isiXhosa words.

This is in contrast to computer software in which the computer believes in GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). In this case a correct isiXhosa word has been entered, but the computer is responding with a “GIGO” answer.

Even the English language itself is suffering the effects of computer language. In fact the English language is being abused daily by the users of social networks like WhatsApp.

That’s where one may find words like “practise” being written as “praktiz or ukuprectiza”. In this example, the isiXhosa language has been manipulated into English.

As a result it kills the entire meaning of the English word. Also denting the images of both the English and isiXhosa culture.

With the fast-moving AI takeover in journalism and on languages, one may see a looming chaos over the intermingling of cultures and languages.

As a result certain languages will be substituted by the AI tools and may eventually become lost…

By Godfrey Sigwela