What is the Icelandic language facing according to Katrín Jakobsdóttir?

The Icelandic language is facing the threat of extinction within a generation, according to Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the former Prime Minister of Iceland.

How is AI contributing to the decline of the Icelandic language?

Jakobsdóttir says the way AI language models are trained is exacerbating the decline of the Icelandic language, as fewer Icelanders are reading and speaking in their native tongue.

What is Jakobsdóttir's view on the government's role in preserving the Icelandic language?

Jakobsdóttir believes the Icelandic government should stay "very focused" on the development of AI to address the challenges posed to the Icelandic language.

Home / Technology / Icelandic Language Faces Extinction Threat from AI and English Dominance

Icelandic Language Faces Extinction Threat from AI and English Dominance

15 Nov

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Summary

Icelandic language could disappear within a generation
Fewer Icelanders reading and speaking in Icelandic, more in English
AI language models exacerbating the decline of Icelandic

Icelandic Language Faces Extinction Threat from AI and English Dominance

According to Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Iceland's former Prime Minister, the Icelandic language is facing a grave threat of extinction within the next generation. Jakobsdóttir, who stepped down as PM last year to run for president, says Iceland is undergoing "radical" changes in language use, with more people reading and speaking English and fewer using Icelandic.

This trend is being exacerbated by the way AI language models are trained, Jakobsdóttir explains. She warns that "a lot of languages disappear, and with them dies a lot of value[and] a lot of human thought." Icelandic, spoken by only around 350,000 people, is among the world's least-altered languages, and Jakobsdóttir believes Iceland has a "huge responsibility" to preserve it.

However, she notes that young Icelanders are "absolutely surrounded by material in English, on social media and other media," contributing to the decline of the native tongue. Jakobsdóttir's co-author, Ragnar Jónasson, agrees that the language is in "grave danger" and that Iceland is "just a generation away from losing this language."