Orange plans to partner with OpenAI and Meta to introduce open-source AI models for African languages.
Takeaway Points
- Orange to partner with OpenAI and Meta to introduce open-source AI models for African languages.
- The initiative will start in the first half of 2025 and will initially focus on incorporating regional languages, namely Wolof and Pulaar.
- Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 39.7 billion euros in 2023.
Why did Orange want to partner with OpenAI and Meta?
Orange on Tuesday announced that it will partner with OpenAI and Meta to fine-tune AI large language models (LLMs) to understand regional languages in Africa that today are not understood by any GenAI model.
“This innovative project aims to develop custom AI models capable of allowing customers to communicate naturally in their local languages with Orange for customer support and sales. These open-source AI models will also be provided externally by Orange with a free license for non-commercial use such as for public health, public education, and many other services. Orange intends to help drive AI innovation in these regional languages including by collaborating on these new AI models with local startups and other technology companies, and by doing so, to mitigate the growing digital divide faced by people all across the African continent,” Orange said.
When will this project start?
The company said that the initiative will start in the first half of 2025 and will initially focus on incorporating regional languages, namely Wolof and Pulaar, spoken by 16 million people and six million people, respectively, in West Africa. Orange’s long-term goal is to work with many AI technology providers to allow future models to recognize all African languages spoken and written across Orange’s 18-country footprint in the region.
By fine-tuning leading AI models such as OpenAI’s ‘Whisper’ speech model and Meta’s ‘Llama’ text model with diverse examples of these languages, which will enable them to better understand these regional languages, Orange said
According to the report, Orange’s goal is to make AI and other related advances accessible to all, including illiterate populations, who are currently unable to benefit from the potential of artificial intelligence.
About Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with revenues of 39.7 billion euros in 2023 and 128,000 employees worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 71,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 292 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2024, including 253 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. These figures have been restated to account for the deconsolidation of certain activities in Spain following the creation of MASORANGE. The Group is present in 26 countries (including non-consolidated countries).
Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business. In February 2023, the Group presented its strategic plan ‘Lead the Future’, built on a new business model and guided by responsibility and efficiency. ‘Lead the Future’ capitalizes on network excellence to reinforce Orange’s leadership in service quality.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
