Meet Yasmina: Dubai's Arabic-speaking AI voice assistant who cracks jokes like a true Emirati

Touted as one of the most human-like AI assistants, it is not just a digital companion but a friendly, empathetic presence deeply rooted in Khaleeji culture

Nasreen Abdulla

Published: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 4:49 PM

Last updated: Tue 17 Oct 2023, 9:38 PM

Introducing Yasmina, the groundbreaking AI voice assistant who brings a touch of humanity and cultural sensitivity to the world of digital interactions. She cracks jokes in Arabic, speaks and understands different dialects and can comprehend regional nuances.

Yasmina is a game-changer in the realm of virtual assistants. Designed with a Khaleeji accent and a unique blend of IQ, EQ, and AI, Yasmina is the brainchild of global tech company Yango.

Advertising

“I felt like there was room in the market for an Arabic-speaking local voice assistant,” said Samer Mohamad, Yasmina Regional Director for MENA, Yango. “So that is why we set out to make one that understood local context.”

Touted as one of the most human-like AI assistants, Yasmina is not just a digital companion but a friendly, empathetic presence deeply rooted in Khaleeji culture, ready with all the answers.

Samer Mohamed

Public contribution

According to Samer, hundreds of regional content creators helped and supported the company in making the AI assistant a reality. “There were many content creators who I reached out to,” he said. “They all pitched in and contributed to make sure that Yasmina could learn the regional dialects and be more culturally nuances.:

He further revealed that even the name Yasmina was also selected as per public opinion. “We put out surveys asking people to select a name,” he said. “Hundreds of names came in, and then, based on technical and other considerations, we narrowed it out down to a few. Those were then put for voting. People picked Yasmina.”

Among other things, Yasmina is able to perform Arabic speech recognition and can convert text to speech. It can also understand more localized commands like playing the Azan (Islamic call to prayer) and give details about the Hijri calendar.

Challenges

Samer admitted that the company's biggest challenge was perfecting the language. “Arabic is such a very interesting language with hundreds of dialects, slangs and cultural nuances that it took hundreds of hours to input to craft something like Yasmina,” he said.

However, all the efforts seem to have borne fruit with people reacting warmly to the product. “The early adopters have all loved it,” he said. “They love that she is funny and seems to have emotions. Even at GITEX, we have had a lot of people from the region, especially those from Saudi, coming to try it out. They have all been surprised by the way she reacts with jokes and find her answers very relevant.”

The product is expected to hit the stores by the first quarter of 2024. “However, we are still looking for beta testers so that we can continue finetuning the project,” said Samer. “So, anyone who wants to try it out and help us improve can sign up with us to do so."

ALSO READ: