The University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) officially launched the Kurdish language technology project on June 18, 2025. This announcement came during a symposium at the Kurdish Academy called AI and the Future of the Kurdish Language.
UKH leads this project in collaboration with the Kurdish Academy. Together, they aim to protect, modernize, and digitize the Kurdish language using artificial intelligence.
The project includes six core modules: spell checking, OCR (optical character recognition), translation, a Kurdish dictionary, ASR (speech to text), and TTS (text to speech).
Furthermore, Dr. Hama Said Hassan, head of the Kurdish Academy, expressed full support. He emphasized that the academy always supports any initiative that serves the Kurdish language.
Meanwhile, Dr. Zana Ismail, President of UKH, highlighted the urgency of this work. According to UNESCO, over 40% of global languages face extinction. In fact, every two weeks, a language disappears.
Although Kurdish is not endangered yet, Dr. Ismail stressed that preserving it for future generations remains a serious challenge. Moreover, historical bans and political restrictions have limited Kurdish use. He also noted that the project will increase Kurdish content online, which will help AI systems better understand the language.
In addition, Qais Kakl from the Kurdish Academy’s Language Committee explained that Kurdish faced marginalization in religion, politics, and literature. Arabic, Ottoman, and Persian dominated these areas. Kakl added that the 20th century marked a turning point, as Kurdish shifted from a communication tool to a national identity symbol.
Kakl described the Kurdish language technology project as a digital frontline. “Mobile screens and servers are our new trenches,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tariq Ahmad Rashid, Director of UKH’s AI Center, called the project a national mission. He noted that past efforts worked separately; however, this one unites many contributors.
Universities like Salahaddin, Koya, Soran, and Duhok contribute valuable Kurdish data. Furthermore, researchers and students actively participate as well.
Additionally, Dr. Pola Abdulhamid, a UKH researcher, shared updates on data cleaning, OCR, and translation work. The system now holds over 100,000 Kurdish words.
Moreover, the team processed and categorized 174,000 archived language files.
In conclusion, the Kurdish language technology project by UKH marks a significant step toward preserving Kurdish in the digital era. With growing collaboration, Kurdish will remain vibrant and strong.
