Preserving languages for the future

Iceland, an island nation in the middle of the North Atlantic, has a vibrant technology industry and booming tourism. Yet while most of its roughly 370,000 citizens speak English or another second language, its integration with the United States and Europe has put the country’s native tongue, Icelandic, at risk. Today there’s increasing worry that in a few generations, if Icelandic can’t remain the country’s default language in the face of rapid digitalization, the language might face de facto extinction⁠(opens in a new window).

Icelanders cherish their language for its rich cultural heritage and connection to the nation’s identity. The country’s government maintains a Language Planning Department⁠(opens in a new window) that coins Icelandic terms for new ideas, rather than adopting so-called “loanwords” from other languages. A computer, for instance, is a tölva (“number prophetess”). Through these efforts, the language preserves its distinctive character⁠(opens in a new window) and remains closely connected to its Old Norse roots.

On the initiative⁠(opens in a new window) of the country’s President, HE Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, and with the help of private industry, Iceland has partnered with OpenAI to use GPT‑4 in the preservation effort of the Icelandic language—and to turn a defensive position into an opportunity to innovate.

The partnership was envisioned not only as a way to boost GPT‑4’s ability to service a new corner of the world, but also as a step towards creating resources that could serve to promote the preservation of other low-resource languages.

“The partnership was envisioned not only as a way to boost GPT-4’s ability to service a new corner of the world, but also as a step towards creating resources that could serve to promote the preservation of other low-resource languages.”

The board of Almannarómur.

English to Icelandic

PromptHvað heitir Donald Duck á íslensku?What is Donald Duck called in Icelandic?

Vilhjálmur Þorsteinsson, Chief Executive, Miðeind ehf