Contributing to Amharic Speech Datasets: Help Build Better AI

• Find a quiet spot.
• Speak naturally, like you're talking to a friend.
• Your phone's microphone is perfectly fine.
• If you mess up, no worries! Just re-record it.

2. Be a Judge

You can also help by validating other people's recordings. You'll listen to a clip and confirm that the person said the words correctly.

• ✅ Accept clips that are clear and match the text (accents are great!).
• ❌ Reject clips that are noisy, have the wrong words, or are cut off.

3. Add New Sentences

You can even help by adding new sentences to the dataset for others to read. Just make sure they aren't copyrighted.

We Need Your Unique Voice

To build AI that works for everyone, we need data that represents everyone. We need speakers of all kinds:

• From all regions: Are you from Gojjam, Gondar, Shewa, or Wollo? We need your dialect!
• Of all ages and genders: We need voices from young people, elders, men, and women.
• With different life experiences: Your unique way of speaking is valuable.

Think Outside the Box

While Mozilla Common Voice is the best place to start, there are other ways to help.

• Get Involved with Universities: Many universities, like Addis Ababa University, are doing important research. Reach out to their linguistics and computer science departments.
• Start Your Own Project: If you're a developer, you can create your own specialized datasets. Just make sure you get proper consent and document everything.
• Mobilize Your Community: Get your school, office, or community center involved. A group recording session can be a fun way to make a big impact.

A Quick Note on Ethics

When we collect voice data, it's incredibly important to do it responsibly.

• Consent is Key: Everyone who contributes should know exactly how their data will be used.
• Respect the Culture: We need to make sure our work honors the culture and benefits the Amharic-speaking community.
• Quality Matters: Good data is clean, accurate, and well-documented.

You Can Start Right Now

Ready to make a difference? Here's what you can do today.

1. Go to commonvoice.mozilla.org/am.
2. Record 5 sentences. It only takes a minute.
3. Validate 10 recordings. This is super helpful.
4. Tell your friends and family. The more people who contribute, the better the AI will be.

Even just a few minutes a day can have a huge impact. Every single recording, every validation, and every new voice gets us one step closer to building AI that truly understands and speaks Amharic.

Your voice matters. Let's build the future together.

This post is part of WesenAI's commitment to advancing Amharic language technology through community collaboration. Learn more about our APIs and how they benefit from improved datasets at WesenAI Documentation.