Ethiopian Trio Build Multilingual AI Assistant to Bridge the Language Gap

Throughout history, transformative technologies from the invention of the wheel to the arrival of the steam engine have reshaped the way humans live, work, and communicate. The latest chapter in that story is unfolding through the rise of large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which have become daily tools for millions around the globe, assisting with everything from schoolwork to social media.

But for many, these tools remain out of reach. Language, in particular, continues to pose a significant barrier. Most LLMs are optimized for English, leaving speakers of underrepresented languages, especially in Africa, on the sidelines of the AI revolution.

Three Ethiopian friends are seeking to overcome this barrier through a multilingual AI assistant that is fluent in Amharic, Tigrinya, and Afan Oromo. Bekalu Temesgen, Baslael Selamu, and Eyob Desta developed Ras: Ethiopian AI in a bid to expand access.

The trio, comprising an economics graduate and two software engineers, added a layer to Google’s Gemini model, which recently began supporting underrepresented languages, and fine-tuned it to understand local linguistic context. The team used open writing data sources and social media platforms like TikTok to fine-tune the model.  

"AI tools are becoming more available globally, but a huge portion of Ethiopians are left out because they don’t understand English,” Bekalu told Shega. 

He says working on a model that understands and responds to informal languages, cultural slang, and regional dialects was quite challenging, even with Gemini’s support base. 

The standout feature of Ras is its story builder mini app, a tool that turns simple prompts into fully narrated, illustrated, and subtitled storybooks for children, available in basic and advanced features. 

In the basic version, users can type (or speak) a prompt like "tell a story about Emperor Tewodros for my 5-year-old daughter) and Ras will automatically generate a full interactive story book with matching visuals and narration, which can be accessible within just 15-20 minutes.

The advanced version expands the creative toolbox by allowing users to create entirely custom characters from scratch or input story drafts, which the platform transforms into a narrated audiobook. While the full version of the Ras app is yet to be uploaded on the Play Store, the team has already started working on an agentic mini app, designed to guide users through starting and formalizing a business in Ethiopia.

 “We’re building a tool that walks you through everything, from developing your business idea to knowing which government offices to visit, what paperwork to prepare, even printing and signing documents,” Bekalu says.

Eventually, the team plans to integrate real-time updates on Ethiopian laws, regulations, and licensing requirements. There are also plans to expand Ras’s language offerings to include Swahili, a regional lingua franca spoken by over 100 million people across East Africa.