TeleAI has tackled the challenge of creating an LLM that breaks away from conventional approaches, which typically limit recognition to a single dialect. — China Daily
BEIJING: In a groundbreaking development, TeleAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) research division of China Telecom, has unveiled the industry’s first advanced speech recognition model capable of understanding and processing over 30 Chinese dialects.
This large language model (LLM), known as Xingchen in Chinese, addresses a significant barrier in customer service, where millions of daily calls, especially from elderly users in remote regions, are made in local dialects that traditional AI systems and customer service representatives struggle to understand.
With approximately 20% of China’s population not fluent in spoken Mandarin Chinese, this advancement aims to bridge the communication gap, ensuring equitable access to digital services for all, China Telecom said.
TeleAI has tackled the challenge of creating an LLM that breaks away from conventional approaches, which typically limit recognition to a single dialect.
By incorporating Cantonese, Shanghainese, Sichuanese and Wenzhounese, among others, the Xingchen model marks a significant leap forward in natural language processing technology, China Telecom said.
This is particularly crucial for elderly residents and those in less-developed regions, who rely heavily on their native dialects for communication, the company added.
Traditionally, dialect research has been a labour-intensive process, reliant on subjective human assessment and annotation, making comprehensive documentation difficult.
AI, with its ability to systematically and efficiently catalogue and analyse linguistic data, offers a transformative solution.
TeleAI said it has already amassed a database exceeding 30,000 hours of high-quality dialect speech, positioning itself as a leader in this field.
The Xingchen speech recognition model is currently being piloted across several regions.
In these provinces, regions and cities, China Telecom’s intelligent customer service has integrated this model, enhancing its ability to comprehend and respond to calls in 30 dialects. — China Daily/ANN
