The visionary pioneer of artificial intelligence within the Tibetan community
Geshe Lobsang Monlam, PhD, stands as the visionary pioneer of artificial intelligence within the Tibetan community, spearheading groundbreaking initiatives through the Monlam Tibetan IT Research Center.
With a profound mission to revolutionize Tibetan language technology, Geshe Monlam aligns seamlessly with the objectives of Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC).
The collaboration between BDRC and Geshe Monlam, initiated in 2022, has blossomed into a fruitful partnership, marked by shared goals and dedication to advancing Tibetan cultural heritage.
In November 2023, Geshe Monlam unveiled remarkable AI developments at an event in Dharamsala, showcasing a highly-accurate machine translation tool that fluidly translates between Tibetan and English.
This breakthrough technology encompasses machine translation, optical character recognition, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech tools, all accessible free of charge.
During his visit to BDRC’s office, Geshe Monlam, celebrated for his Grand Monlam Tibetan Dictionary, emphasized the significance of AI in preserving and developing Tibetan cultural heritage.
He believes that AI, rooted in the ethical framework of Buddhism, has the potential to benefit educational, religious, and social applications.
As a testament to international cooperation, BDRC’s Archives and Infrastructure Manager Jim Katz presented Geshe Monlam with a hard drive containing texts from the BDRC archive for training AI models.
This exchange symbolizes the collective efforts spanning 25 years, acknowledging the indispensable role of BDRC in preserving Tibetan texts.
Geshe Monlam’s commitment to technological excellence and education extends to his long-term vision of establishing a center in Bangalore.
This initiative aims to promote knowledge sharing, furthering the integration of AI within the ethical principles of Buddhism.
As the Monlam team embarks on their North American tour, their collaboration with key partners, such as MITRA at Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab, underscores the global scope and importance of their endeavors.
