The Director of the Abdul Majid Bhurgri Institute of Language Engineering Amar Fayaz Buriro has emphasized the necessity of integrating Sindhi into digital platforms to prevent linguistic marginalization and explained how AI-driven technologies, such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech and AI-powered translation tools, required active contributions from native speakers.

He urged the Sindhi-speaking community, especially students to generate digital content to ensure the language’s representation in global AI models. 

This he said while delivering his lecture titled “Sindhi Language in the Era of AI”, which was organized in the Dr. Abdul Jabbar Junejo auditorium, Department of Sindhi, University of Sindh Jamshoro.

The event organized by the Department of Sindhi was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Khalil-Ur-Rehman Khoumbhati and attended by the Dean Faculty of Professor Dr Muhammad Khan Sangi, Chairman Department of Sindhi Professor Dr Noor Muhammad Shah, Dean Faculty of Engineering & Technology Professor Dr Lachhman Das Dhomeja, Dean Faculty of Islamic Studies Professor Dr Hafiz Munir Ahmed Khan, Director of Languages Dr Sahibzad Sikanderi, Dr Arfana Begum Mallah, Dr Amar Sindhu, Dr Fayaz Latif, Ghulam Murtaza Siyal, Sajid Qayoom Memon, Dr Nawab Kaka, Professor Dr Ghulam Ali Buriro, Dr Shahmurad Chandio, Professor Dr Abdul Waseem Shaikh, Professor Dr Muhammad Ali Leghari, Dr Makhmoor Bukhari, Dr Shazia Pitafi, Dr Asif Ali Jamali and many other  scholars, linguists, students and literary enthusiasts. 

Addressing an academic challenge, he highlighted the misclassification of Sindhi linguistics and literature in educational institutions.

He stressed the need for a separate Sindhi linguistics discipline focusing on morphology, syntax, phonetics, semantics and computational applications, rather than treating literature and linguistics as one. 

The director also discussed the role of youth in preserving Sindhi language through social media and digital platforms.

He said that structured Sindhi datasets are crucial for AI models and called for the systematic digitization of Sindhi literature, spoken dialogues and linguistic data to develop AI-powered tools such as chat bots and speech assistants.

He said that the new revolutions emerging in modern technology were not only astonishing but also thought-provoking, expanding the human mind. 

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the modern world in every aspect. There is no doubt that Sindhi is an ancient and rich language in many ways, but it currently faces significant challenges and issues”, he said and added that addressing these challenges required a comprehensive strategy. 

“A language cannot be preserved merely through speech; it must be safeguarded through data and technology while simultaneously integrating with the modern world for progress”, Mr Buriro said.

He said that language had played a pivotal role in elevating humanity from primitive existence to its present state. It enabled individuals to express their concerns, understand one another and find solutions accordingly. 

Highlighting the linguistic diversity of the world, he stated that out of approximately 6,000 languages spoken globally, nearly 300 are on the verge of extinction due to a declining number of speakers. Comparing linguistic complexity, he noted that while English has four to five derivations, Arabic possessed an impressive 676. 

He further mentioned that DeepSeek had successfully developed a model for the Sindhi language. Emphasizing the significance of data science, he remarked that it was no trivial task, yet it had made it possible to integrate Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai into ChatGPT. Now, anyone seeking information about Latif could receive immediate and authentic responses. 

He asserted that computational linguistics would soon be a specialized area under the Department of Sindhi rather than Computer Science. Expressing concern, he noted that no substantial research had been conducted on the etymology of Sindhi words or on psycho-linguistics in the Sindhi language. However, he acknowledged the contributions of Dr. Siraj extensively worked on Sindhi phonetics and Dr. Mohabbat Buriro conducted research in the field of morphology. 

Encouraging young scholars, he invited final-year students of the Department of Sindhi to join the Dr. Abdul Majid Bhurgri Institute of Language Engineering, where they could develop their skills and become proficient researchers.

The lecture concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where attendees raised concerns about the digital future of Sindhi. Mr. Buriro reiterated the need for collaboration between linguists, technologists and the Sindhi-speaking community to secure the language’s place in AI-driven innovations.

The Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Khalil-Ur-Rehman Khoumbhati also spoke on the occasion. He said that previously, various chairs were established to publish books in order to preserve the Sindhi language, whereas in the present era, the language could be safeguarded by integrating it with technology.

Chairman Department of Sindhi professor Dr Noor Muhammad Shah welcomed the attendees and introduced Amar Fayaz Buriro, acknowledging his contributions to the digital preservation of Sindhi. Dr Rehana Mallah oversaw the proceedings of the lecture program.

Earlier, Professor Nazar Hussain Chandio took the opportunity to recite some verses from holy Quran and veteran singer Zulfiqar Ali Khan sang the wayee of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai that mesmerized the audience.