Anna Mae Lamentillo
We still have a future
November 14, 2024 4:04 pm
The future can feel overwhelming. With climate change forecasts and rapid advancements in technology, it’s easy to see why young people around the world—especially in places like the Philippines and India—are feeling a growing sense of doom. In “Not the End of the World,” Hannah Ritchie highlights a global survey where an astonishing 73 percent of young Filipinos believe the world is doomed due to climate change, and an even more troubling 92 percent say “the future is frightening.” These numbers reveal much more than pessimism; they show a generation grappling with the fear that their future may be slipping away.
Inclusive AI can preserve endangered languages
November 12, 2024 4:03 pm
Nearly half of the world’s 7,164 languages are at risk, and experts predict that 95 percent could vanish by the century’s end. This crisis extends beyond words; each language embodies cultural knowledge, unique views, and the essence of community identity. The rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) offers an unprecedented chance to preserve these languages if AI development becomes inclusive and accessible to all communities.
NightOwlGPT joins NVIDIA Inception
November 07, 2024 9:52 pm
As the founder of NightOwlGPT, I am thrilled to announce that we have been accepted into the NVIDIA Inception Program. This milestone is more than an honor; it’s a game changer for NightOwlGPT and our mission to create powerful, culturally competent natural language processing (NLP) models tailored to indigenous and low-resource languages with complex morphologies.
How LSE Cities inspired a new vision for PH cities
November 05, 2024 4:02 pm
When I entered the London School of Economics (LSE) Cities program, I had just stepped away from nearly eight years in government, where my focus was often on addressing immediate urban challenges. Stepping into the academic world allowed me to look at cities across the Philippines from a fresh, neutral perspective. It gave me the space to question: What more could we do to make cities truly livable for everyone, especially the most vulnerable populations? Through LSE Cities, I was introduced to the concept of the “15-minute city,” a vision where every resident can access essential services—schools, clinics, parks, workplaces—within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. It may sound ambitious, but at its core, this model represents a shift toward cities designed to be accessible and empowering for all, from the youngest child to the oldest adult.
Synthetic data generation: A catalyst for NLP in marginalized and indigenous languages
October 31, 2024 4:01 pm
As the founder of NightOwlGPT, I’ve seen firsthand how data scarcity impacts the development of natural language processing (NLP) models for marginalized and indigenous languages. These languages often exist outside mainstream digital spaces, leaving billions of speakers without access to AI tools that enhance communication, learning, and connectivity. One of the most promising solutions to this challenge is synthetic data generation—a transformative approach that’s opening doors for marginalized languages in NLP frameworks and creating new possibilities for digital inclusion.