Breaking Barriers: Multilingual AI as a Bridge to Democratic Access
20 Feb 202611:30 AM – 12:30 PMBharat Mandapam, L1 Meeting Room No. 10
Speakers
Ayah Bdeir, Current AI
Dr. Amitabh Nag, Bhashini
Katharina Frey, ICAIN
Markus Reubi, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA
PD Dr. Alex Ilic, ETH AI Center
Prof. Dr. Annie Hartley, EPFL / Director LiGHT
Prof. Dr. Petri Myllymäki, ELLIS
Prof. Jon Wilson, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, NTU, Singapore
Prof. Torsten Schwede, Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
AI's potential remains limited if it serves only dominant languages, deepening digital divides. This panel, featuring ICAIN and experts from Africa, Europe, and Asia, highlights how multilingual AI can democratize access to technology. It showcases Apertus, an open-source multilingual AI model from ETH Zurich/EPFL, and its real-world applications, emphasizing global collaboration to advance public-interest AI and inclusive innovation.