An AI Model Championing the Preservation of Shanghai Dialect

Shanghai University Develops AI Model for Preserving Shanghai Dialect

Shanghai University has launched a new version of its large language model called Xiao Hu, dedicated to preserving the Shanghai dialect. This upgraded model incorporates Shanghai dialect into its development, enabling it to process multi-language text conversion and continuously improve its recognition, reading, and generation of the dialect.

Zeng Jun, director of the university's publicity department, introduced the technical background and future applications of Xiao Hu at a recent demonstration session. He envisions Xiao Hu being used as a voice assistant, broadcaster, or teaching platform in daily scenarios. Additionally, it holds potential in research areas such as generating content in Shanghai dialect and serving as a resource for Haipai or Shanghai-style culture.

The demonstration session showcased Xiao Hu's ability to recognize and generate Shanghai dialect. Federico Demarco, an alumnus of the university from Argentina, found Xiao Hu to be a valuable tool for learning the dialect, as online resources are scarce.

Duan Yong, deputy Party secretary of Shanghai University, believes that Xiao Hu's launch contributes to the city's digital revolution and strengthens the preservation of Shanghai's cultural heritage by merging AI technology with the Shanghai dialect.

Moving forward, the university plans to further improve the model's accuracy in pronunciation, emotional expression, and application in diverse scenarios such as opera, poems, and recognizing various versions of the Shanghai dialect.