The first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform for the Bengali language, ‘Kagoj.ai’, has been established.
Along with it, the new Bengali font “July” has been formally unveiled.
The formal inauguration was held on Monday, December 15, at the Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka, as part of an event organised by the ICT Division.
Fayez Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in Charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, launched the platforms.
In his speech, Taiyeb stated that at least 4,000 people have utilised the platform experimentally in the last two weeks with positive outcomes. Its API is being opened up to make the Bengali language available to anyone, he noted.
He underlined the significance of preserving linguistic and cultural variety, announcing intentions to gather 10,000 minutes of oral language data from each ethnic community. He stated that a Bengali Large Language Model (LLM) will be created to aid in the protection and preservation of indigenous languages in the digital environment.
He also stated that the source code will be made available after cybersecurity checks are completed. To preserve the local cultural flow of the language, 10,000 oral minutes of each ethnic group’s language will be collected soon, and a Bangla LML will be produced, he said.
He also mentioned that more use of the platform would help uncover difficulties faster, expediting growth and boosting the broader ecosystem.
It is worth noting that ‘Kagoj.ai’ will assure the use of artificial intelligence in Bangla language writing, official document preparation, language processing, and content production, which is a significant step forward in the digital growth of the Bengali language.
Meanwhile, the new Bangla font ‘July’ has been designed for official and institutional use, which will help to overcome certain constraints in computer-based Bengali writing. The two services that were inaugurated were developed as part of the Bangladesh Computer Council’s ‘Enrichment of Bengali Language in Information Technology through Research and Development’ initiative, which is managed by the Information and Communications Technology Division.
The event was presided over by Secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division Shish Haider Chowdhury, and attendees included Bangla Academy Director General Professor Dr Mohammad Azam, Additional Secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Department Zahirul Islam, officials from various government and private departments, technology experts, and invited guests.
