Intron launches Sahara v2.5 voice AI for African language mixing

Lagos-based voice technology company Intron has launched Sahara v2.5, an updated AI platform designed to handle code-switching, which is the practice of mixing multiple languages within a single conversation. The update introduces bilingual speech recognition to 12 African languages, including Zulu, Hausa, Swahili, and Luganda.

Intron also announced the development of a trilingual speech-recognition model that supports switching between Kinyarwanda, English, and French, a first for African languages. The company has filed US patents for the proprietary algorithms used in this technology. With the addition of new support for languages such as Nupe, Kanuri, and Somali, the Sahara platform now covers 31 languages.

According to company benchmarks, the Sahara platform outperformed models from Google, Meta, and ElevenLabs in several tested languages regarding word error rates. The technology is currently utilized by over 40 enterprise customers across countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, and Ghana, serving sectors such as healthcare, finance, and legal services.