GUWAHATI: Assam’s Education Minister, Dr Ranoj Pegu, said that “From counting on fingers to digitalising everything, we’ve moved from ancient practices to a digital era, embracing AI and technology for a transformative future,” at the inauguration of a three-day national workshop on ‘Parts of Speech (PoS) Tagging for North East Indian Languages’ on Monday at GUIST Seminar Hall.
The Department of Information Technology organised the event in collaboration with the Centre for Research and Development in Digital and Endangered Local Languages (CRD-DELL). The workshop is a step toward integrating regional languages like Assamese, Bodo, and other scheduled and non-scheduled tongues into modern digital ecosystems.
The core focus of the event is PoS tagging, which involves assigning grammatical labels, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives, to words, enabling computers to process and understand these languages. This technical foundation is critical for developing AI-driven tools, including translation apps, educational platforms, and voice recognition systems, that can make Northeast Indian languages accessible in digital spaces.
The inaugural session welcomed the group of guests, including Prof. Utpal Sarma, Registrar, and Prof. Shikhar Kumar Sarma, Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology, who contributed their expertise to the discussions. Prof. Dipti Mishra Sharma from IIIT Hyderabad shared her knowledge in computational linguistics, enhancing the collaborative effort.
Attendees are set to explore the practical applications of PoS tagging, exploring how these advancements can empower educational tools, enhance communication platforms, and preserve endangered dialects over the next three days.
By enabling AI to “understand” these languages, the workshop lays the groundwork for innovations like multilingual chatbots, digital archives, and localised content creation, ensuring that languages like Assamese and Bodo remain vibrant in an increasingly digital world.
Gauhati University’s efforts signal a future where Northeast India’s linguistic heritage not only survives but thrives, bridging the gap between ancient traditions and cutting-edge technology.
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