Artificial intelligence is in the spotlight with its multiple functionalities in different areas and industries, already changing in practice the daily lives of people and organizations. Now, the technology of the moment is also proving to be an asset for a global team of educators, who are using algorithms to spread the word about climate change.
According to information reported by the Positive News website, three-quarters of scientific publications are published in English. The Climate Cardinals‘ youth-led network of 9,000 volunteers takes this background material and carefully translates it into more than 40 languages, along with climate glossaries, UN documents, and official reports.
They’ve been trialling Google’s new AI-powered Translation Hub – and achieved in three months what had previously taken them two years, translating an additional 500,000 words in the process.
“The change in pace was immediate,” said Climate Cardinals founder Sophia Kianni. “With the power of AI, we can create a world in which language barriers in climate information are a thing of the past.”
As the group continues to break language barriers and spread vital climate change information, they also warn that translation isn’t an end in itself.
“Our work gets its meaning from its potential to empower and educate people around the world. And while climate change impacts all of us, it has a disproportionate effect on communities that are often left out of the conversation. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure that climate information becomes a public good, accessible to everyone, regardless of language or background. We believe that AI can help make that happen.”
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Source: Positive News | Google Cloud Blog