Artificial Intelligence & Language Preservation

By: Dan Zacharski | Fall 2025

Over 7,000 languages exist worldwide; however, close to half are considered endangered, designated by a lack of child speakers and reliance on adult speakers (Bromham, 2022). Many of these languages are passed down through oral traditions to children, however speakers of endangered languages are encouraging future generations to learn dominant languages and leave behind their less spoken tongues. This is referred to as language shift. Acquiring a dominant language is commonly regarded as a way to advance socioeconomically and gain access to better quality of life, which has been a lasting effect of colonialism and neocolonialism. Higher paying jobs, quality education, and essential healthcare can be largely inaccessible to speakers of endangered languages. Without children acquiring these endangered languages, the population of adult speakers turns stagnant and eventually dies out. Emerging technologies pose both constructive and detrimental effects for the preservation of endangered languages.

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