[Edling] Meet the robots programmed by kids to speak their Indigenous languages

[Francis M. Hult via Edling]

National Public Radio

Meet the robots programmed by kids to speak their Indigenous languages

Today, some Native youth are learning their languages in schools. But Boyer
said many of them still aren't invested. "They see it as another homework
assignment."  That's why she invented the SkoBot. It's a customizable toy
robot designed to get Indigenous children excited to learn their
languages...SkoBots use a form of artificial intelligence to speak
Indigenous languages, and they're small enough to mount on the user's
shoulder..."Basically when it hears that one trigger word, it then plays a
prerecorded audio file. So there isn't synthetic speech, there isn't any
generative AI," said Boyer. "It's simply listening to what you're saying,
identifying it and playing [audio files] that already exist"..."Artificial
intelligence, especially when it's not created by Indigenous people, stands
to do a lot of harm to our communities," she said. "When you are putting
accurate information into these models … you're giving away sacred
information to companies that don't have our best interests at heart."

Full story:
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/26/nx-s1-5825798/robot-speaks-endangered-native-american-languages
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