How One Teacher Is Saving an Indigenous Language With AI
In the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, a dedicated educator is pioneering a unique intersection of ancient culture and modern technology. He is bridging the gap between Indigenous language and artificial intelligence by teaching his native Tzotzil to one of the world's most advanced AI models, ChatGPT.
Andrés ta Chikinib, a 29-year-old teacher and poet from Zinacantán, a highland municipality predominantly inhabited by the Tzotzil Maya, views his AI pupil with a sense of accomplishment. “ChatGPT has become another student, inquisitive and persistent, demanding clarity and coherence,” he described.
Chikinib says he wants to ensure that the language of more than 400,000 people in Chiapas has a presence in the digital world and is accessible to future generations. (Instagram)
A Mission Born from Necessity
Chikinib's journey into language preservation has been deeply personal. He has spent nearly a decade promoting Tzotzil literacy, a skill he only acquired himself at the age of 19. His innovative teaching approach was born out of a practical challenge: a severe lack of educational materials in his native tongue.
“As a Tzotzil language teacher, I couldn’t find any material to share, so I started creating it myself. But this work takes a lot of time,” Chikinib explained. This led him to explore how AI could accelerate the process and create a new resource.
The Unique Teaching Method
Chikinib's method is direct and immersive. He began feeding ChatGPT the vocabulary, grammatical structures, and fundamental rules of his regional Tzotzil dialect. Crucially, he made a deliberate choice to avoid any translations into Spanish, forcing the AI to learn the language on its own terms.
He noted that the AI's response has been remarkable. ChatGPT not only absorbed the information but also began asking questions, identifying linguistic patterns, and even recognizing unique word roots specific to Tzotzil, demonstrating a sophisticated level of learning.
The Goal Digital Preservation for Future Generations
Chikinib's ambition extends far beyond creating a simple translation tool. His primary goal is to carve out a permanent space for the Tzotzil language in the digital world. By doing so, he aims to make the language, spoken by over 400,000 people in Chiapas, more accessible and relevant to younger generations and ensure its survival for the future.
However, the immediate, widespread impact of his work is still developing. Interactions with a chatbot typically improve its performance within a single user's session unless the data is formally used to retrain the core AI models. For now, the knowledge can be best leveraged by converting it into new teaching materials.
The Debate Can AI Truly Save a Language
The initiative is not without its critics. Some experts, like José Daniel Ochoa Nájera, a linguist at the State Center for Indigenous Languages, Art, and Literature (CELAL), warn of a potential “linguistic colonialism.” He argues that digital technology could amplify dominant languages while leaving others further marginalized. “AI can tell our stories, yes,” Ochoa noted. “But who decides which stories and how they are told? Technology can be a tool or a dispossession.”
Chikinib counters this perspective by emphasizing the importance of active participation. “If we don’t share, how can we demand institutional respect or visibility?” he asked.
The Bigger Picture Indigenous Languages in Mexico
The effort is set against a backdrop of immense linguistic diversity and significant risk. According to Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexico has 68 Indigenous languages with 364 variants, spoken by approximately 7 million people.
Despite this rich heritage, which includes widely spoken languages like Nahuatl, Tzeltal, Maya, and Zapotec, language loss is a severe threat. Nearly 300 Indigenous languages have vanished from Mexico over its history, mirroring a global crisis where about 25 languages disappear every year. Innovators like Chikinib hope that technology can help turn the tide.
