Ucwaningo lweziqu zobudokotela i-PhD olwenziwe nguDkt Seani Rananga waseNorth-West University (NWU),
“Umbono wami wesikhathi eside ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izilimi zase-Afrika zimelwe ngokugcwele esizukulwaneni esilandelayo sobuchwepheshe bobuhlakani bokwenziwa, ngesikhathi ngifaka isandla ekwakheni izindawo zedijithali eziphephile nezithembekile kuwo wonke umuntu.”
Lapho imininingwane engamanga isabalala ku-inthanethi ngesiNgisi, ubuhlakani bokwenziwa, i-Artificial Intelligence (AI), ngokuvamile buyakwazi ukusiza ekuyihlonzeni. Kodwa uma leyo mininingwane engamanga ibhalwe ngesiZulu, ngeSepedi noma ngezinye izilimi eziningi zaseNingizimu Afrika, amathuluzi atholakalayo mancane.
Ucwaningo lweziqu zobudokotela i-PhD olwenziwe nguDkt Seani Rananga waseNorth-West University (NWU), lubhekene nale nselelo ngokuthuthukisa ubuhlakani bokwenziwa obusebenza ngezilimi eziningi, obungakwazi ukuhlonza imininingwane engamanga ngesiNgisi, isiZulu nangeSepedi. Lokhu kubeka isisekelo sokwakhiwa kwezindawo zedijithali eziphephile eNingizimu Afrika.
Ucwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi ubuhlakani bokwenziwa obusebenza ngezilimi eziningi buyakwazi ukuhlonza imininingwane edukisayo kulezi zilimi ezintathu. Luphinde lwagqamisa ukubaluleka kokuthuthukiswa kokuhumusha okwenziwa yimishini ezilimini zase-Afrika ezingenazo izinsiza ezanele zobuchwepheshe.
Lolu cwaningo luhlinzeka ngohlaka olungaguqulwa ukuze lusetshenziswe ekulweni nemininingwane engamanga ngesikhathi sokhetho, sezimo eziphuthumayo emphakathini nakwezinye izehlakalo lapho imininingwane engamanga ingaba nemiphumela emibi kakhulu.
UDkt Rananga, ongumfundisi e-University of Pretoria, uthe lolu cwaningo lugqugquzelwe isidingo sokuqinisekisa ukuthi abantu abakhuluma izilimi zomdabu zaseNingizimu Afrika abasali ngaphandle ngesikhathi ubuhlakani bokwenziwa buqhubeka nokubaluleka ekuhlonzeni imininingwane engamanga.
“INingizimu Afrika ingelinye lamazwe anezilimi eziningi kakhulu emhlabeni. Nokho, iningi lezinhlelo zobuhlakani bokwenziwa ezihlonza imininingwane engamanga lakhelwe ikakhulukazi isiNgisi. Lokhu kubeka abantu abakhuluma izilimi zomdabu esimweni esingesihle uma kudingeka bahlonze imininingwane engamanga noma edukisayo ku-inthanethi,” kusho yena.
Ukwakha ubuchwepheshe obuthembekile
Ucwaningo lwakhe lwe-PhD lusebenzise imininingwane engamanga eyayisabalala ngesikhathi sobhubhane lwe-Covid-19 njengesibonelo sokuqala sokuhlola uhlaka olusebenza ngezilimi eziningi.
Ngokusho kukaDkt Rananga, ubhubhane lwakhombisa indlela imininingwane engamanga engasabalala ngayo ngokushesha kanye nemiphumela engaba nayo ezimpilweni zabantu. Nakuba ucwaningo lokuqala lwalugxile emininingwaneni engamanga ephathelene nezempilo, izindlela zalo zakhelwa ukuthi zikwazi ukusetshenziswa emikhakheni eminingi lapho imininingwane engamanga ibeka umphakathi engozini.
Ucwaningo luthole ukuthi ubuhlakani bokwenziwa obusebenza ngezilimi eziningi buyakwazi ukuhlonza ngempumelelo imininingwane engamanga ngesiNgisi, isiZulu nangeSepedi. Luphinde lwakhombisa ukuthi izinga lokuhumusha okwenziwa yimishini libamba iqhaza elikhulu ekuthuthukiseni ukusebenza kwe-AI ezilimini ezingenazo izinsiza ezanele zobuchwepheshe.
“Lolu hlaka lubeka isisekelo sokwakhiwa kobuchwepheshe bobuhlakani bokwenziwa obubandakanya wonke umuntu, obuthembekile futhi obusebenzela izilimi zaseNingizimu Afrika,” kusho uDkt Rananga.
Uthe imiphumela yalolu cwaningo ingasiza iminyango kahulumeni, izinhlangano ezihlola ubuqiniso bemininingwane, izinkundla zokuxhumana kanye nemiphakathi. Lokhu kungenziwa ngokwenza ukuba imininingwane edukisayo ihlonzwe kusenesikhathi, kuthuthukiswe ukufinyeleleka kolwazi oluthembekile futhi kusizwe abantu ukuba bathathe izinqumo benolwazi olufanele.
Ukumela izwe ngokuziqhenya emhlabeni
Lolu cwaningo seluthole ukuqashelwa emhlabeni jikelele. UDkt Rananga uthole i-Google PhD Fellowship, okungomunye wemiklomelo ehamba phambili emhlabeni esekela ucwaningo lweziqu zobudokotela emkhakheni wobuhlakani bokwenziwa.
Umsebenzi wakhe uphinde wathola i-Best Poster Award engqungqutheleni ye-2025 Deep Learning IndabaX South Africa. Lokhu kumenze wathola uxhaso lokuyokwethula ucwaningo lwakhe e-2026 Deep Learning Indaba ezoba sePan-Atlantic University, eLagos, eNigeria, ngo-Agasti nonyaka.
“Ukuthola i-Google PhD Fellowship kube yinhlonipho enkulu futhi kwaba ukuqinisekiswa okuqinile kokubaluleka kokwenza ucwaningo lwe-AI olugxile ezilimini zase-Afrika. Kuphinde kwaqinisa ukuzibophezela kwami ekuthuthukiseni ubuchwepheshe obubhekana nezinselelo zemiphakathi ekhuluma izilimi eziningi kanye naleyo enezinsiza ezincane. Kungivulele namathuba okusebenzisana nabacwaningi abahamba phambili emhlabeni,” kusho yena.
Uma ebheka esikhathini esizayo, uDkt Rananga uhlela ukunweba lolu cwaningo ukuze lubandakanye ezinye izilimi zaseNingizimu Afrika. Ucwaningo lwakhe lwesikhathi esizayo luzogxila emininingwaneni engamanga esatshalaliswa ezinkundleni zokuxhumana ngesikhathi sokhetho, sezimo eziphuthumayo emphakathini nakwezinye izehlakalo ezinomthelela omkhulu.
Uhlose nokunweba ucwaningo ukuze lubhekane nezinselelo ezintsha, ezihlanganisa izithombe noma amavidiyo omgunyathi akhiqizwa ngobuhlakani bokwenziwa, aziwa ngokuthi ama-deepfake, inkulumo enenzondo kanye nezinye izinhlobo zokuqukethwe okuyingozi ku-inthanethi.
Ngaphezu kokuhlonza imininingwane engamanga, uDkt Rananga uhlose ukuthuthukisa izinhlelo zobuhlakani bokwenziwa ezithembekile nezisebenza ngezilimi eziningi. Lokhu kuhlanganisa ama-large language models, izinhlelo ze-retrieval-augmented generation kanye nama-knowledge graph, okungasetshenziswa ukweseka imikhakha efana nezempilo, imfundo, ezolimo, ukuphatha kukahulumeni kanye nezinsizakalo zomphakathi.
“Umbono wami wesikhathi eside ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izilimi zase-Afrika zimelwe ngokugcwele esizukulwaneni esilandelayo sobuchwepheshe bobuhlakani bokwenziwa, ngesikhathi ngifaka isandla ekwakheni izindawo zedijithali eziphephile nezithembekile kuwo wonke umuntu.”
Isihloko esishicilelwe sitholakala kusizindalwazi sezindaba saseNorth-West University: PhD study develops AI to detect misinformation in South African languages | news.nwu.ac.za.
