Kiswahili at the center of digital advancement, Artificial Intelligence.

The World Kiswahili Language Day is being celebrated today for the second time after what enthusiasts termed as a successful first commemoration in 2022.

The theme for this year 'Unleashing Kiswahili's Potential in the Digital Era' couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

This second anniversary of the World Kiswahili Language DayA- popular among speakers of the language by the acronym MASIKIDU ( Maadhimisho ya Siku ya Kiswahili Duniani) comes at a time when the digital space is on the brink of yet another revolution. Technology companies are moving to implement Large Language Models (LLMs) in generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

As that happens, Kiswahili has scored another first by being the only sub-Saharan language among the 40 that Google plans to launch its generative AI - Bard.

Already other Google services and products, including Gmail, Docs, Drive and the popular mobile operating system, Android, are available in Kiswahili. Google Lens can also translate into Kiswahili.

Other internet-based platforms such as Airbnb, Uber, WhatsApp, Spotify, among others, support Kiswahili.

Another generative AI, ChatGPT, that launched in November 2022 also provides responses in Kiswahili.

Other than generative AI, Kiswahili is also making strides in voice-enabled technology.

In recognition that Kiswahili is spoken across wide geographical regions with different accents and vocabulary, Mozilla Foundation through its Common Voices (Sauti ya Jamii) initiative has been collecting Kiswahili voice datasets from volunteers with an aim of countering AI biases that often hinder voice-enabled technology use.

"I want to be understood when I speak,' says Kathleen Simiyu, an AI researcher at Mozilla Foundation, in a tweet.

The initiative aims to bridge more than accent and vocabulary barriers.

'For some communities, even if their language is supported, they might not be understood as AI training data regularly under-represents gender-diverse communities, people of colour, and those with marginalized or non-native accents,' says Mozilla Foundation.

While it can be argued that companies are leveraging on Kiswahili for their genuine interests A- to expand or acquire new markets A- it is also apparent that Kiswahili speakers are benefiting from technology.

Apart from being able to use technology in their own language, Kiswahili speakers are able to tell their experiences in their own language and likeness, as they please. Those in the diaspora have never...