Google and African Universities Launch WAXAL to Empower 100 Million Africans with AI Voice Technology

Google, in collaboration with African universities, has introduced WAXAL, a project designed to empower 100 million Africans with AI voice technology. The initiative involves the release of a comprehensive speech dataset for 21 sub-Saharan African languages, including Hausa, Yoruba, Luganda, and Acholi.

This dataset, comprising 1,250 hours of transcribed natural speech and 20 hours of high-quality studio recordings, aims to facilitate the development of voice-enabled technologies tailored to African languages. Aisha Walcott-Bryant, Head of Google Research Africa, highlighted the project's significance in bridging the gap in voice technology accessibility across Africa.

The dataset is currently supporting various languages and is publicly available for African developers, researchers, and startups to create inclusive and locally relevant AI applications. The project is led by Makerere University in Uganda, the University of Ghana, and the University of Rwanda, with Google experts providing guidance on data collection.

The initiative emphasizes equitable AI development and ownership of the dataset by African institutions, fostering innovation and economic opportunities on the continent.