I can’t speak Urhobo or Itsekiri, and I really wish I could. I wasn’t taught as a child 😩 That’s a big part of why I started TemboAI.
I want to practise, ask questions and follow a conversation in the languages I wish I spoke. I want AI that understands the way we speak: the expressions we use at home, the stories we tell, the meaning that disappears in a word-for-word translation.
To get there, we need to start with people who already know these languages. People like your mum, your grandfather, your neighbour. People who have something to teach because they speak it every day.
That is the direction for TemboAI: a community that helps build African language data, with clear tasks, human review and a reward shown before the work begins.
Start with a little of your world
A friendly greeting. The way you ask a price at the market. A saying you heard growing up. An affectionate name for someone you love.
These small moments carry a lot of language. They are a practical place to begin teaching AI how people actually speak.
TemboAI’s catalogue covers 835 African languages. Find an open mission in a language you know. The catalogue helps you find your language; the mission tells you what work is available.
Meet Gumzo and Griot
Gumzo guides everyday conversation. Griot guides stories and the meaning behind our words.
Choose a mission and read its brief, then get approved for its language and task and accept its data-use terms. Gumzo and Griot guide you through prepared prompts. Record your own voice, listen back and write the words you said. Try again if you need to, then send your contribution for human review.
Earn the reward shown on the mission
There are two ways a mission can reward accepted work.
Points missions award TemboAI Points. The launch Points missions offer 10 Points for accepted work. You can see that reward on the mission before you start.
Paid missions pay money for accepted work. Check the brief for the amount, eligibility and qualification requirements.
Points and paid earnings are separate. Choose the mission that fits the work you want to do.
I want this to create real opportunities for the people whose knowledge makes the data useful. Good contributions come from understanding the language, taking care with the recording and sharing the words accurately.
Help fund a language mission
You can also take part as a sponsor.
Perhaps you care about a language spoken in your family. Perhaps your team needs examples of everyday speech for something you are building. You can propose a mission and fund an approved brief.
That connects a specific need with speakers who can do the collection work and people who can review it. The mission sets out the task, reward and permitted uses. Data access and use need their own terms and permissions.
If you want better AI in a language you care about, helping fund the data is one way to move it forward.
Know what you are sharing
Each mission explains what it collects, who will review it and how it may be used. Read its consent choices before recording, and keep other people’s private information out of your contribution. I want people to understand the work and make a choice they are comfortable with.
Bring your parents. Bring your grandparents.
Please share TemboAI with someone who speaks a language you want to preserve or learn.
Your mum might know a greeting you’ve never heard. Your grandfather might explain a saying that a literal translation gets completely wrong. Someone in your family might have the exact knowledge that a person like me wishes they had grown up with.
Invite them to explore the missions and choose whether they want to contribute.
We can start with the words people already use every day, and build from there.
Find an open mission or propose a mission to fund.
Let’s teach AI our languages.