Project Overview

• - What is the Multilingual and Multicultural AI Project?

  This GPAI-associated project will explore ways to create culturally aware datasets and develop AI models for multilingual and multicultural exchange, and endeavor to promote inclusive governance frameworks. By engaging communities, cultural experts, governments, and researchers, the project will foster AI systems that reflect linguistic and cultural diversity, contributing to a more inclusive and resilient global AI ecosystem.

• - Background and Past Activities

  The Tokyo Innovation Workshop held in May 2025 featured “Multilingual & Multicultural AI” as one of its key themes. At the workshop, it was pointed out that modern mainstream AI systems utilizing LLMs rely heavily on languages for which larger amounts of data are available and therefore do not adequately reflect the world's diverse cultures and values. It was also noted that this imbalance could also lead to the exclusion of cultural expression and potentially result in discrimination.

  The Lisbon Forum, held on October 29, 2025, included a workshop entitled “Inclusive and Multicultural AI: Perspectives from Global Dialogue,” bringing together the heads of the three GPAI Centres, experts and participants for an exchange on inclusive AI.
  The discussion highlighted that languages carry culture and values, while many widely spoken and low-resource languages remain underrepresented in generative AI. Participants emphasized the need for culturally grounded datasets and benchmarks, cross-cultural AI tools, and approaches that balance data sharing with data sovereignty.

  Building on discussions at these workshops, this project was launched in 2026 as a joint initiative of the three centres: the Tokyo Centre (NICT), Inria, and CEIMIA. As a GPAI-associated project, it serves as an umbrella initiative that covers diverse regional perspectives.

  Following that, the Rio de Janeiro Innovation Workshop was held in May 2026, which featured “Harnessing Cultural Diversity: Bridging Vernacular Contexts and AI Training” as one of the themes. The ultimate objective of this further discussion was to refine the project in collaboration with the GPAI community.

• - Implementation Method

  Following the discussions at these workshops, the Tokyo Centre and Universal Communication Research Institute (NICT) will co-host the Asia Multilingual & Multicultural AI Workshop on Friday, October 30, 2026, in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The workshop will bring together experts from countries across Asia and beyond.