From underserved African languages to a revolutionary Braille
display — the latest Somewhere on Earth podcast covers stories that
matter.

Story 1 – AI and African Languages
Hausa, spoken by 94 million people, is understood by ChatGPT only 10-20% of the time. The issue? Lack of training data. A team behind African Next Voices has recorded 9,000 hours of speech across eighteen African languages, creating datasets to train AI and finally bring these languages online. Dr Ife Adebara CTO of EqualizeAI and Lead Solutions Engineer at Data Science Nigeria shares insights into the challenges, scope, and wider economic potential of this project.

Story 2 – Micro-Explosive Braille
Most braille displays only show one line at a time, limiting access to complex content. A team from Cornell, MIT, and Michigan Universities has developed a multiline braille display using micro-explosions of fuel gas in silicone sheets to raise dots safely and rapidly. Tested successfully with users, this innovation could bring tactile reading into classrooms, libraries, and homes, while opening applications in VR, AR, and biomedical research.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell and the studio expert is Ania Lichtarowicz.

More on this week's stories:

AI models are neglecting African languages — scientists want to
change that

Explosion-powered eversible tactile displays

Production Manager: Liz Tuohy

Editor: Ania Lichtarowicz

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