The growing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has brought forth a pressing need to address linguistic diversity, particularly as the discourse remains predominantly anchored in English. On February 10, 2025, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, took center stage at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where he announced the addition of over 110 new languages to Google Translate, significantly enhancing its capabilities for half a billion users worldwide.
Reflecting on this development, Joseph Nkalwo Ngoula, a digital policy advisor at the UN mission of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, remarked, "It shows the message is getting through and tech companies are listening." This initiative is part of a broader strategy to promote equitable access to information across linguistic barriers, culminating in the adoption of the UN Global Digital Compact in September 2024.
The challenges with early generative AI applications, like OpenAI's ChatGPT, highlighted substantial linguistic gaps when responding to queries in languages other than English. Users quickly recognized that non-English prompts often yielded unsatisfactory responses, such as apologies for inadequate training in their language. Nkalwo Ngoula emphasized that AI models need to draw on a more diverse dataset, stating, "The volume of available information in English is much greater, but it’s also more up to date," further compounding these disparities.
As a cornerstone of its digital diplomacy, La Francophonie, representing 93 member states and over 320 million individuals globally, has been a vocal advocate for increased linguistic diversity in technology. Nkalwo Ngoula notes that the organization leveraged its diplomatic network to ensure that these principles were recognized in the Global Digital Compact: "Our goal was to bring [linguistic diversity] to the forefront." This advocacy reflects an increasing awareness that AI must accommodate the rich variations of language and culture.
The emergence of innovative approaches to AI, such as ReelTime's Real Intelligence (RI), launched on March 20, 2025, represents a shift towards a more community-driven model of language learning. CEO Barry Henthorn explained that RI now speaks all major languages fluently and has the capability to converse in most others, giving it a unique advantage over traditional AI models that require extensive infrastructure and maintenance. Henthorn stated, "ReelTimes' RI is fast increasing its access to knowledge vaults, cognitive reasoning, and ability to interact with humans throughout the Globe." This innovative model intends to expand exponentially as users engage with it.
Meanwhile, the rise of GenAI in the sports industry has illuminated the importance of prompt engineering—crafting detailed inputs to enhance the quality of AI outputs. Recent surveys by Salesforce revealed that 45% of U.S. users are now utilizing generative AI technology. Examples abound, with organizations like NASCAR and the San Antonio Spurs demonstrating the practical applications of this burgeoning field. Patrick Carroll, NASCAR’s managing director of digital technology, noted, "Getting deep into LLM skill sets — and the ability to prompt engineer and talk to an LLM — is just going to get you so much more valuable insights back."
At the Spurs, a lesson in prompting illustrated the transition from general AI usage to more sophisticated applications. The team initiated a pilot program with OpenAI in October 2024, focusing first on teaching employees the essentials of prompt engineering. Charlie Kurian, a director with the Spurs, explained that by developing a prompting framework known as S.C.O.P.E.—situations, character, outcomes, parameters and extras—the team raised their productivity. This shift saw a jump from 14% to over 60% in user engagement with GenAI.
The advancements underscore the need for organizations to adapt their strategies in a world where effective AI communication becomes essential. The Portland Trail Blazers have similarly experienced growth, developing 35 AI tools through custom GPTs in just eighteen months. Chief strategy and innovation officer Christa Stout humorously expressed that waiting for the ideal moment to adopt AI technology is akin to waiting for perfect parenting conditions: "It’s just never going to happen.”
The interplay between AI advancements and linguistic diversity remains at the forefront of discussions among leaders in technology, policy, and sports. While progress has been made—evidenced by Google’s expanded language offerings and the advocacy instigated by La Francophonie—Nkalwo Ngoula warns that obstacles persist. He pointed out, “Francophone content is often buried by platform algorithms,” which can obscure the voices of non-English speakers in the digital landscape.
The overwhelming dominance of English in AI training data remains a significant hurdle. As technology evolves, it is crucial that stakeholders work together to ensure that linguistic diversity becomes integral to future advancements. Indeed, as Nkalwo Ngoula insists, "Linguistic diversity must be the backbone of digital advocacy for La Francophonie," a sentiment that resonates widely across the evolving landscape of AI. And while the journey toward equitable AI access continues, the developments thus far promise a more inclusive future for users worldwide.
