AkylAI Pioneers AI in Kyrgyz Language with Support from EBRD’s Star Venture Program

AkylAI Pioneers AI in Kyrgyz Language with Support from EBRD’s Star Venture Program

(IN BRIEF) AkylAI, the first artificial intelligence system fully compatible with the Kyrgyz language, is breaking new ground in the digital world by preserving and promoting the native tongue. With the help of the EBRD’s Star Venture program, the Kyrgyz Republic-based startup is expanding its language model and preparing for international growth.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 22-Feb-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — In the realm of artificial intelligence, language is at the heart of its development. However, most AI systems are primarily trained on English, which not only risks embedding biases but also excludes many cultures from the digital revolution. In the Kyrgyz Republic, a group of young developers is addressing this gap by creating AkylAI—the world’s first AI system fully compatible with the Kyrgyz language. This groundbreaking project is being supported by the EBRD’s Star Venture program, which is helping the startup refine its business strategy and scale its operations globally.

The idea for AkylAI was born out of a desire to preserve the Kyrgyz language in the digital age. “When we first told people outside the Kyrgyz Republic about our project, they were puzzled,” recalls Timur, one of AkylAI’s co-founders. “They asked, ‘Why does your country need AI in its own language?’ We explained that while Russian is widely used here, our goal is to preserve and promote our native language.”

AkylAI’s journey began five years ago when Nursultan and Ulan teamed up to teach data science and machine learning in a tech bootcamp. This initiative laid the groundwork for Kyrgyzstan’s first AI community. The team expanded when Timur returned from Europe, bringing fresh ideas to their venture.

As global AI models like ChatGPT gained traction, the team saw a pressing gap—the lack of a comprehensive AI system for the Kyrgyz language. They launched an ambitious project to build a language model, starting by collecting over 300 million Kyrgyz words in just three months. Using this vast dataset, they fine-tuned an open-source model based on Llama, leading to the 2023 release of their first product: a web-based chatbot that exclusively communicates in Kyrgyz.

Next, the team embarked on a challenging mission to create a hardware device for voice-to-voice communication in Kyrgyz. This project demanded significant advances in voice recognition and synthesis, requiring over 24 hours of studio recordings with an actress to train the model.

“Starting a business is full of uncertainty,” Timur admits. “But you learn to accept it, embrace it, and just keep pushing forward.”

With guidance from the EBRD’s Star Venture program, supported by the Small Business Impact Fund, and expertise from Cambridge University, the AkylAI team honed their business strategy. “The support from the EBRD and Cambridge helped us build a system and structure around our approach to the business,” Timur explains. “They provided a clear framework to understand our strengths and weaknesses, which has been invaluable.”

Today, AkylAI’s web platform serves 15,000 active users, furthering the presence of the Kyrgyz language in the digital world. The team has developed five working prototypes capable of conversing and responding to queries, though they are cautiously approaching commercialization.

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SOURCE: EBRD