A young Pakistani developer has successfully managed to create the first-ever AI tool to assist with the Sindhi language. These tools enable text-to-speech (TTS) and speech-to-text (SST) in Sindhi for the first time.
The 23-year-old software developer from Hyderabad, Fahad Maqsood Qazi, began work last year on an AI-based dubbing system for his company, Flis Technologies. During development, he realized there were no basic text-to-speech (TTS) or speech-to-text (STT) tools for Sindhi—a language spoken by nearly 40 million people worldwide.
In August 2023, Qazi began gathering and transcribing hours of Sindhi audio from various sources, including YouTube videos, audiobooks, and news reports, to build a training dataset. Around the same time, he came across Mozilla’s Common Voice project, where Google employee Asad Memon had added Sindhi support.
Qazi merged that data with his own and began training AI models. By January 2024, he had built initial working versions of Sindhi TTS and STT systems. He also developed a tokenizer, a necessary tool for processing language in machine learning models, since one was not previously available for Sindhi.
Sindhi is not formally taught in many countries where Sindhi-speaking communities live, which can result in younger generations being less familiar with the language. Qazi hopes his tools will make it easier for people to read, write, and speak Sindhi through digital platforms.
Qazi told Arab News:
My goal is to help them stay connected to it through speech and text tools. In many diaspora communities, younger Sindhis grow up without learning to read or write in their language.
In March, he uploaded his models to HuggingFace, which is essentially the GitHub for AI models, allowing developers and researchers access to his work.
Qazi’s models could help Sindhi speakers send messages using speech input or listen to written text read aloud in Sindhi. These tools may also assist older adults and people with limited formal education in using the language in everyday communication.
Qazi said:
A person who can’t read Sindhi could use the TTS model to hear written stories. Or someone who never learned to write could still search for information and get answers by speaking.
Qazi believes that the addition of Sindhi to tools like TTS and STT is necessary for the language to remain relevant in digital communication and technology.
“Without access to tools like these, Sindhi could be excluded from digital spaces,” he said. “Now it can be part of systems like voice interfaces, educational resources, and translation tools.”
By addressing a basic gap in language technology, Qazi’s work gives others a foundation to build further tools for Sindhi users, ensuring better access and usability in an increasingly digital world.
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