No Lauleo About Lauleo
Ma ka Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi 2025, e hō mai i kou leo leʻa i mea e ola ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i kēia wā a no nā hanauna e hiki mai ana!
Eia ke komo mai nei ka AI ma nā kelepona a me nā lolo uila i mea e kikokiko ʻia ai ka ʻōlelo i hoʻopuka ʻia e ke kanaka (leo-a-kiko - speech to text), a i ʻole, e ʻōlelo mai i ke kanaka (kiko-a-leo - text to speech), akā ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekania wale nō i kēia manawa. ʻO kekahi pahu hopu o Lauleo ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ia ʻenehana like no ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ka huliāmahi ʻana me ke kaiāulu ʻōlelo. E aho hoʻi ko kākou alu like ʻana, o hana auaneʻi ʻo “Big Tech” mā. He papahana ʻo Lauleo e kākoʻo pū ʻia nei e Te Hiku Media ma Aotearoa a me nā hui o Hawaiʻi, akā, e ʻilau nā leo e kō ai ka hana.
Ke ʻano o ka hana
Hōʻike mai ka app ʻo Lauleo (a i ʻole ke kahua paʻa) i nā māmala ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e heluhelu ai ke kanaka me ka ʻapo pū i kona leo. Lilo kona leo he ʻike (data) e hoʻomākaukau ai i ka “language model” e hoʻomaopopo iho ai hoʻi ka lolo uila i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a kikokiko aku. Ke hele ka model a mākaukau, hiki ke hoʻomohala ʻia nā ʻano app like ʻole no ke kelekiko ʻana paha ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, no ka Siri ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a no ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka puana maʻemaʻe.
Kono ʻia nā kānaka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a pau e heluhleu
ʻAʻole ʻo ka poʻe poeko wale nō ke komo mai ma ka heluhelu ʻana. ʻO ka paʻa o ka puana pololei a maʻemaʻe, ʻo ia ka mea nui—pēia pū ka ʻiʻini e hoʻoikaika ma ka hana. Mai ka mānaleo a ka haumāna hou, kono ʻia nā mea a pau e alu like ma ka heluhelu ʻana. He waiwai nui nā leo like ʻole, ʻoiai makemake kākou e hoʻomaopopo ka lolo uila i nā kānaka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a pau.
Ka wā a me kahi e hana ai
Mai ka lā 23 o Pepeluali a ka lā 1 o Malaki, e mālama ʻia he hoʻokūkū heluhelu i mea e ʻohiʻohi nui ʻia ai nā leo. E hui nā kānaka ma nā kime (ʻehā kānaka ma ka liʻiliʻi loa), hoʻoili ʻia iho ka app ʻo Lauleo (App Store, Play Store) i ke kelepona, e kākau inoa no ka hui, a laila e lele i loko o ka heluhelu a ʻoki leo ʻana. Hiki ke hana like ma ke kahua paʻa. ʻO nā hui ikaika loa o ka heluhelu maʻemaʻe ʻana i nā māmala ʻōlelo he nui, e puka nō ma ka lanakila (kūlana 1-3) a he kālā hoʻi ka loaʻa. Aia nā lula a me ka ʻike a pau no ka hoʻokūkū ma ka app a me ke kahua paʻa.
No ke aha ke alu like ʻana me Te Hiku Media?
ʻOiai ʻaʻohe hui Hawaiʻi i hana mua i kēia ʻano hana, ke hana pū nei me Te Hiku mā. ʻO Peter Lucas Jones (he mātanga reo Māori) a me Keoni Mahelona (he ʻenekinia Hawaiʻi no Anahola mai) nā poʻo o Te Hiku Media. ʻAʻole ia he hui ʻenehana na ka poʻe ʻona biliona; he hui liʻiliʻi na ka poʻe ʻōiwi o Kaitāia, Aotearoa, e hoʻokō ana i ke kauoha a nā mānaleo o laila e hoʻomau i ka ʻōlelo Māori ma kēia mua aku.
Ua ʻike kēlā poʻe kūpuna, he loli ke au o ka manawa. Noi akula lākou i nā hanauna ma lalo iho e hoʻoikaika ma ka ʻimi ʻana i ala e ola mau ai ka ʻōlelo Māori ma nā ʻano like ʻole, e laʻa hoʻi ka pūnaewele, ka lolo uila, a me ke kelepona. I ko lākou manaʻo, he mea ia e kūʻokoʻa ai ka poʻe Māori. ʻO kā Te Hiku Media papahana mua ka ʻimi ʻana aku i mea e kikokiko ʻia ai nā ʻōlelo a nā kūpuna mānaleo i paʻa ma ka lola, ʻoiai he waihona leo nui (mau haneli hola) ko ke kahua hoʻolele leo o lākou, ʻo Te Hiku o Te Ika hoʻi.
Kiaʻi a mālama ʻia kēia mau leo i waihona ʻike kupuna, a lilo pū hoʻi ia he ʻike (“data”) e hoʻohana ai no ka hoʻomohala ʻana i ka ʻenehana ʻōlelo Māori. Iā lākou, he taonga tuku iho (he mea makamae loa mai nā kūpuna mai) ia ʻike ʻōlelo Māori, a ke hoʻohana ʻia, no ka pono ia o ka ʻōlelo a me nā kānaka e hoʻōla a hoʻomau ana.
E like ana nō ka manaʻo a me ka hana a Te Hiku ke loaʻa mai ka ʻike ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma o Lauleo. Me ia ʻike, e hoʻomohala ʻia ana nā mea e pono ai ke kaiāulu ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i kēia wā a me ka wā e hiki mai ana. Manaʻolana mākou e paʻa ka app leo-a-kiko mua i loko o kēia makahiki! Ke mākaukau, ʻaʻole e pipiʻi, a ke kūʻai ke kanaka, e hoʻolilo ʻia ke kālā ma nā papahana ʻenehana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. No Hawaiʻi ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, a na ko Hawaiʻi e kākoʻo, mau a mau. No laila, e lauleo kākou e loaʻa mai ai kēia ʻenehana, a e kūʻokoʻa mau ai hoʻi ka ʻike Hawaiʻi.
ʻOiai ua hoʻomohala ʻē aku ʻo Te Hiku i nā language model no ka ʻōlelo Māori, no laila he kahua kēlā e kūkulu ʻia ai ka ʻenehana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. He kono kēia na ka poʻe Māori e kaʻi pū aku ma kēia ala a lākou i waele aku ai ma ke ao AI, ʻoiai pālua mai ka ikaika ke hana pū, a ʻaʻohe hoʻi hana nui ke alu ʻia. E kōmi ma ʻaneʻi e ʻike ai i nā app ʻōlelo Māori a Te Hiku.
Ka pilikia me "Big Tech"
He kuanaʻike ʻokoʻa loa ko Google, Meta, Microsoft, a pēlā aku, ʻo ia hoʻi he huakūʻai wale nō ka ʻike e loaʻa mai ai ke kālā i ke kanaka. Ua lawe ʻē ʻia akula paha kahi ʻike ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e Microsoft ma o ka papahana ʻo Lionbridge. ʻO ka ʻiʻini naʻe o ia ʻano hui, e lilo na lākou wale nō ka ʻike a me ka ʻenehana i hoʻomohala ʻia ma ona lā. He mea koʻikoʻi loa ko kākou mālama kūʻokoʻa ʻana i ka ʻike Hawaiʻi a me nā hua e puka mai ana. Helu ʻia i loko o ia waihona ʻike Hawaiʻi nui ka nūpepa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, nā lola mānaleo, a me nā hua o kā kākou hana i kēia mau lā. E like me ka ʻāina, e mālama ʻia ka ʻike Hawaiʻi no ka pono o ka lāhui a me ka lehulehu. ʻĒkoʻa hoʻi ko Big Tech pahu hopu, ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻimi wale aku i ke kālā, ka hoʻokūkū, a me ka mana. ʻAʻohe o lākou nānā i ka maikaʻi o kā ka lolo uila ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a me ka hoʻomau ʻia ʻana o ka ʻōlelo no nā hanauna o kēia mua aku.
E komo pū i ka hana
He noi haʻahaʻa kēia e kōkua mai ma ka hoʻolaha ʻana aku i kēia papahana. E naue aku i @lauleo25 ma IG a me FB. E hoʻoili iho i ka app e hoʻomaʻamaʻa ai i ka heluhelu ʻana. E paipai i nā hoa hana, nā hoaaloha, nā haumāna a me ka ʻohana e hana i kime no ka hoʻokūkū heluhelu (aia ka ʻike ma lauleo.com). E hoʻolaha aku ma nā hui kamaʻilio, hālau hula, hui hoe waʻa, a me nā wahi a pau e noho nei nā kānaka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (o nā pae like ʻole). Aia ana nā lālā o Lauleo ma Ola Ka ʻĪ ma nā mokupuni a pau, no laila e kipa mai e nānā aku ai i ka ʻenehana ʻōlelo Māori i pau i ka hoʻomohala ʻia. Ke alu like kākou i kēia papahana, e lau nā leo, a e hiki aku nō i ka pahu hopu. E lāuleo kākou!
During Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi 2025, lend your voice to help our language survive into the future!
AI language tools are rapidly becoming a part of our world, allowing our phones and other devices to understand our voices and type what we say or read to us in our language. Lauleo seeks to work with the language community and its supporters to develop these tools. Lauleo is a partnership between Te Hiku Media and various Hawaiʻi organizations and institutions, but it will require many voices—I lau nā leo—to be a success.
How it works
The Lauleo app or website gives you sentences to read in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and records you reading them. This data will be used to train a “model” that teaches the computer to hear ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and turn what it hears into text. The ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi model can then be used to create tools for several things such as text messaging in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, creating an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi Siri, or even building an app to help learners improve their pronunciation.
Who can participate
Anyone! You don’t need to be a language expert, you just need a solid grasp of correct pronunciation and the willingness to do your best. Anyone from beginner to native speaker can join in the reading effort. All of our voices are valuable and computers need to understand everyone if they are to serve a wide community of speakers and learners of various levels.
When and where
From February 23 to March 2, there will be a massive voice data gathering effort in the form of a competition with cash prizes! Participants (groups of four or more) will download the Lauleo app from the App and Play stores and create an account to participate. They can also do this on the Lauleo website. Once they are signed up, they can begin reading sentences. All contest rules and information will be available on both platforms. We are hoping to get your help in spreading the word about this contest to your students, colleagues, friends, and family.
Why Te Hiku Media?
Lead by Māori language expert Peter Lucas Jones and Hawaiian engineer Keoni Mahelona, Te Hiku Media is not a tech company run by billionaires, but a small, native-owned organization from the far north of Aotearoa working on the mandate of native speakers of their iwi to ensure the survival of te reo Māori (Māori language) into the future.
Those kūpuna saw what was coming and asked the younger generations to step up and shape a place for te reo Māori in the coming decades and beyond. They recognized this as a form of tino rangatiratanga, or self-determination, and language sovereignty. Te Hiku’s work began with the need to transcribe hundreds of hours of archival audio of native speaking elders in their community, much of it generated by their iwi radio station, Te Hiku o Te Ika.
These recordings are “data” they hold in trust as kaitiaki (kiaʻi, or guardians). While digitally preserving it for the coming generations, they are also using it to create language tools for te reo Māori. They understand all forms of Māori language data to be a taonga, or cultural treasure of immense value, to be used for the benefit of the language and those keeping it alive.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi speech and text data contributed to the Lauleo campaign by individuals or institutions will be held and used by Te Hiku in the same way and with the same values. Language tools will be developed to serve the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi community and our needs, both current and future. The hope is to collect speech data through the Lauleo reading competition and complete the first automatic speech to text tool in 2025. This tool will be made affordable to the language community and revenue generated from subscriptions will be used to cover development costs and fund other digital needs for language revitalization, creating community-sustained support for ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The kūpuna left us an incredible legacy of language and it’s our job to steward it into the future. This means coming together to create quality technology and work toward true data sovereignty.
Te Hiku has been training speech models for te reo Māori, which can strengthen ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi models by allowing us to build on the base they’ve created in this sister language. Our cousins across the moana have forged a path in the AI world and are inviting us to join them because they know we are stronger together! Learn more about Te Hiku’s tools for Te Reo.
The concern with Big Tech
Google, Meta, Microsoft and other companies view data as a commodity for profit. Data has already been harvested from the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi community (some folks may remember the Lionbridge effort). However, Big Tech ultimately seeks ownership of data and derivative products. We must have sovereignty over our data and the technologies built from it. This includes data produced by kūpuna (nūpepa ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and oral histories, for example) and data we produce today. As people of Moananuiākea, we understand that data, like ʻāina, is to be stewarded and used for collective benefit. Big Tech’s main concerns are competition, individual gain, and profit, not language quality or the survival of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi into the future.
How you can be involved
Please help us spread the word about this campaign. Follow us on Insta and Facebook @lauleo25. Download the Lauleo app and start practicing your reading. Encourage colleagues, students, friends and family to form teams and get ready for the Lauleo Competition (details at lauleo.com). Share it with your hui kamaʻilio, hālau hula, hui hoe waʻa, and anywhere Hawaiian language speakers and learners might be. We’ll be at all the Ola Ka ʻĪ events in February, so please come see us to learn more and check out some demos of existing tech. With your support we hope to rally as many voices as we can to make this happen. E lauleo kākou - Let’s all contribute our voices!
Mahalo piha ke kākoʻo ʻana mai!
