According to MBZUAI, this skew limits the accuracy and cultural nuance of AI systems when applied to Arabic dialects and minority languages across the MENA region. As large language models grow in scale and cost, the project aims to design training frameworks that require less manually annotated data and lower computational power. The collaboration forms part of what Google describes as the MENA AI Opportunity Initiative. Matias says, “We are happy to collaborate with MBZUAI, which is deeply rooted in advancing AI research and fostering regional academic talent. By focusing on low-resource languages in Large Language Models, we are progressing on the MENA AI Opportunity Initiative’s commitment to providing access to the most innovative AI technology in Arabic, its dialects and other languages spoken in the region.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 17, 2026 14:01 UTC