Microsoft to Enhance AI Performance in European Languages
US technology giant Microsoft is allocating millions of dollars to increase the availability of data in European languages for AI development, according to company president Brad Smith.
"Given that today's top AI models are primarily trained on English-language materials, the future of these languages and the vitality of their cultures are genuinely at risk without a significant change," states Brad Smith.
AI models demonstrate reduced effectiveness when working with languages that lack ample data, which may lead more users to adopt English, even if it is not their first language. Starting in September, Microsoft plans to establish research teams in Strasbourg, a city in eastern France, to "enhance the availability of multilingual data for AI development" across at least 10 of the European Union's 24 languages, including Estonian and Greek. The initiative will involve digitizing books as well as recording hundreds of hours of audio.
"This initiative is not about generating data for Microsoft to control; it is about creating data for the public to utilize," Brad Smith emphasizes.
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In recent months, the US-based firm has worked to align itself with the growing political movement advocating for European technological independence.
European leaders have become increasingly concerned about their reliance on American tech companies and infrastructure following Donald Trump's reelection.
In June, Microsoft announced it was enhancing collaboration with European governments on cybersecurity and introduced new "data sovereignty" policies for its data centers within the region. Smith mentioned that Monday's announcement further illustrates the company's dedication to Europe.
The majority of prominent AI companies are located in the United States or China, although Europe does have notable entities like France’s Mistral and the Franco-American platform Hugging Face. Beyond Microsoft, various European projects such as TildeLM are working to create AI models tailored for local languages.
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Additionally, the developer of Windows and Office announced that it is working on a digital replica of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which it intends to present to the French government, as well as digitizing artifacts from the national library and Decorative Arts Museum of France.