Little LMs: Reimagining AI for Sustainability and Linguistic Justice

AI's Sustainability Challenge

The presentation effectively highlights the often-overlooked environmental and economic costs of large language models, particularly in the context of the Global South. The discussion on 'Little LMs' and the Ubuntu Punk philosophy offers a refreshing perspective, advocating for more sustainable and culturally sensitive AI development. However, the presentation could benefit from more concrete examples of successful 'Little LM' implementations and quantifiable metrics demonstrating their efficiency gains. While the focus on sustainability is crucial, a more detailed comparison of the performance trade-offs between 'Little LMs' and their larger counterparts would strengthen the argument.

Key Points

• The presentation advocates for a shift from resource-intensive LLMs to more efficient 'Little LMs' to address environmental concerns (energy consumption, water usage, conflict minerals).
• It emphasizes the importance of economic sustainability, highlighting the reliance on external funding and the need for sustainable business models in AI development, particularly for languages in the Global South.
• The concept of cultural sustainability is introduced, advocating for the inclusion and development of AI tools for diverse languages and cultures, promoting linguistic justice.

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📖 Source: Presentation: Ecologies and Economics of Language AI in Practice