Building an AI That Thinks in Gĩkũyũ
Preserving Our Language for Future Generations
We're creating a "Digital Elder" - an AI system that doesn't just translate words, but understands the culture, wisdom, and soul of the Gĩkũyũ language.
The Challenge We're Solving
Current AI Limitations
Tools like Google Translate treat Gĩkũyũ as just "English with different words." They miss cultural depth, tonal nuances, and the critical ũ vs u, ĩ vs i distinctions.
Lost Cultural Context
Proverbs (thimo), traditional stories (ng'ano), and elder wisdom lose their meaning when translated robotically without understanding.
Language at Risk
Without modern tools, younger generations struggle to connect with Gĩkũyũ. We're building technology that serves culture, not replaces it.
Our Vision: The Digital Elder
Imagine an AI that learned Gĩkũyũ the way you did - by immersing in the language first, understanding its logic and culture, and only then learning to translate. That's what we're building.
📚 Phase 1: Pure Gĩkũyũ
Teaching the AI using only pure Gĩkũyũ text - stories, proverbs, wisdom. Just like a child learning their mother tongue first.
Target: 50MB of text | Status: Collecting
🌉 Phase 2: Translation Bridge
Once it thinks in Gĩkũyũ, we teach translation using bilingual materials - dictionaries, parallel texts, cultural explanations.
Target: 20MB translations | Status: Collecting
🗣️ Phase 3: Voice & Beyond
Adding speech recognition and natural voice, creating a complete "Digital Elder" that preserves Gĩkũyũ in the digital age.
Timeline: Future enhancement
Our Progress
Data Collection Phase
Gathering materials from community collaborators. We're collecting traditional texts, dictionaries, and bilingual materials to build our training corpus.
Phase 1 Training
First AI training session teaching pure Gĩkũyũ understanding. The model learns to think in Gĩkũyũ before learning to translate.
Phase 2 Training
Adding translation capabilities while maintaining cultural depth. The Digital Elder can now explain Gĩkũyũ in English.
Beta Launch
Working Digital Elder available for community testing and feedback. Contributors get early access to help refine and improve.
How You Can Help
Share Materials
Have old books, documents, or audio recordings in Gĩkũyũ? We need them! Even phone photos of book pages help.
Time: 2-10 hours (flexible)
Verify Quality
Native speakers can help verify that our processed text is accurate, especially critical diacritics (ũ, ĩ).
Skills: None needed, just fluency
Spread the Word
Know others who might have Gĩkũyũ materials or expertise? Connect us! Community makes this possible.
Impact: Multiplies our reach
What Contributors Receive
🎁 Free Access
Contributors get lifetime free access to the Digital Elder translation tool. Use it for personal, educational, and community purposes.
🏆 Recognition
Your contribution to preserving Gĩkũyũ will be acknowledged. Be part of something historic for our language.
📚 Cultural Preservation
Materials you share are digitally preserved and protected. Your grandchildren will have access to this heritage.
Common Questions
A: Absolutely YES! 10 people with 5 documents each = 50 documents. Every contribution matters, and you might know where to find more materials later.
A: Of course! If you can use Google Drive and take photos with your phone, you can contribute. We handle all the technical work.
A: We can handle it! We have technology for faded text, handwritten documents, and poor-quality scans. If a human can read it, we can probably digitize it.
A: Yes for community use! Personal, educational, and community use is always free. Only commercial applications might have fees, which would fund ongoing development.
Join Us in Preserving Gĩkũyũ
This is more than just technology. It's about ensuring our children and grandchildren can connect with their heritage. It's about preserving the wisdom of our elders in the digital age.
Together, we can create an AI that truly thinks in Gĩkũyũ.
Nĩ wega mũno! (Thank you very much!)