MALIBA-AI

Empowering Mali's Future Through Community-Driven AI Innovation

MALIBA-AI is a bold, independent community leveraging open-source AI to bridge the digital divide and empower Mali's linguistic communities. We are uniting engineers, linguists, researchers, and students to create novel language technologies—democratizing technology access for every Malian.

Our Vision

An inclusive, independent technological ecosystem which includes all Malian communities, regardless of educational or linguistic background, to preserve culture, enhance education, and drive economic growth for the country.

Our Mission

To drive technological advancement in Mali through:

• Building a dynamic and collaborative innovation ecosystem including input from AI experts, engineers, and local voices shape Mali's future together
• Developing open-source language models informed by local Mali community needs
• Ensuring equal access to technology by integrating all Malian languages
• Fostering local AI education so Malians can lead their own technological future
• Sharing breakthroughs openly to ensure innovation is for all

Core Initiatives

1. Language Technology Development

• Foundation Models: Create, Train, and Deploy AI models tailored to Malian languages
• Speech Technologies: Develop speech recognition and synthesis systems for local dialects
• Translation Systems: Build neural machine translation models to enable seamless communication across Mali's diverse languages
• Dataset Creation: Curate comprehensive, high-quality datasets for all Malian languages
• Documentation: Preserve Mali's rich linguistic heritage through detailed documentation
• Methodology Sharing: Publish all approaches and techniques following open science principles

2. Community Empowerment

• Open Collaboration: Foster a space for innovation free from external influence and bias
• Knowledge Exchange: Facilitate learning and sharing between community members
• Inclusive Development: AI solutions built with direct input from Malian communities of different backgrounds
• Research Publication: Share findings, models, and datasets with the global community
• Capacity Building: Develop local expertise in AI and language technologies to empower Malians to take ownership of Mali's technological development

3. Practical Applications

• Local Solutions: Create applications addressing specific Malian challenges faced by language barriers
• Educational Tools: Develop resources to teach Mali's dialects in order to preserve heritage languages
• Accessibility Solutions: Ensure AI technology reaches Mali's communities
• Integration Tools: Build software connecting traditional and modern practices to engage with all levels of tech literacy

Join Our Community

Who We Need

• AI/ML Practitioners: Contribute to model development and training
• Software Engineers: Build practical applications and tools
• Language Experts: Guide linguistic accuracy and cultural preservation
• Community Members: Share insights about local needs and challenges
• Enthusiasts: Learn and contribute to technological advancement

How to Contribute

• Project Participation: Join our open-source development efforts
• Knowledge Sharing: Contribute expertise and learn from others
• Community Building: Help grow our independent innovation ecosystem
• Solution Development: Create applications serving local needs
• Research Collaboration: Participate in methodology development and documentation

"No Malian Left Behind"

Join MALIBA-AI in building a future where technology serves every Malian, in every language, through the power of community-driven innovation!