A breakthrough, made by AI researcher Punahamoa Walker (Te Whakatōhea) earlier this year, led to the creation of artificial intelligence that can be used to engage Māori speaking communities.
FranklyAI Founder and Chief Executive Matt Ensor says it was important for Frankly to learn Māori. “Our mission is, ‘no voice left behind’. Although Frankly Reo Māori is very new, we are excited about the opportunities this technology provides for Māori speakers and for Māori language revitalisation.
“We know how inaccessible traditional tools and online forms can be for hard to reach communities, so we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the language Frankly uses is respectful, and culturally appropriate,” says Matt.
Known as a conversational agent, Frankly is an AI (Atamai Hangahanga or Artificial Intelligence), which appears as a pop-up window on many websites, “Frankly is much fancier”, says Matt. Frankly can converse in English, Samoan, Mandarin and is now learning Torres Strait Creole and Tongan.
If you are interested in the Frankly whakapapa, “if Frankly were a person its grandparents would be Australian-based conversational agent IBM Watson and Beca Limited, and its parents the Frankly team."
After trialing different approaches, Frankly Reo Māori is supported by a team of experts including kaiwhakamāori, mātanga reo and tohunga matihiko, along with help from Māori speakers in the community to develop, test and train, to increase Frankly’s proficiency.
“Frankly provides an effective way to reach Māori and Māori speaking communities, supported by real time data and analysis, to understand the needs of the communities they serve.”
The FranklyAI team is made up of a diverse team of 13 in Aotearoa and two in Australia – one indigenous and one Chinese Australian. Collectively the team speaks eight languages fluently and as well as Aotearoa and Australia come from Eastern and Western Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific.
Internally, the FranklyAI Team’s Māori language and cultural journey is underway with growing inclusion and use of te reo Māori in internal and external settings. Check out one of our multilingual AI’s in action on the University of Auckland exams webpage.
If you are keen to find out how Frankly Reo Māori can add value to your mahi reach out here or visit www.frankly.ai
