Speech & Language Technologies · AI for the under-served
Agha Ali Raza
Tenured Associate Professor of Computer Science, LUMS · Founding Director, CSaLT · Speech & Language Vertical Lead, National AI Hub
I build speech and language AI for the people technology usually leaves behind: communities that are low-literate, low-income, or linguistically marginalized. My systems run over ordinary phone calls, with no internet or smartphone required, and have reached more than 300,000 people across Pakistan, India, and West Africa. My goal is a digital world that is accessible, inclusive, equitable, and safe for everyone.
What I work on now
Production speech & language for Pakistan's languages
As Speech & Language Technologies Vertical Lead, I am building production-grade speech recognition, text-to-speech, machine translation, and medically contextualized large language models for Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, and Pashto, all aimed at maternal, newborn, and child health.
Deepfake defense and speech forensics
Through the Crime Investigation and Prevention Lab (CIPL), I develop explainable, data-efficient audio deepfake detection and core Urdu speech forensics (recognition, keyword spotting, speaker ID) to counter AI-driven fraud and protect tech-naive users.
Demystifying AI for 3,000+ professionals
Since 2023, more than 85 training programs for over 3,000 people, from C-suite leaders, vice-chancellors, and 300 doctors to faculty, civil servants, and students, on using generative AI productively and reckoning honestly with its limits and ethics.
The through-line
The Internet of the Orals
Roughly half the world is still offline. My work grounds voice-first telephone services in entertainment and conversation so that they spread on their own through under-connected communities, carrying health information, job opportunities, and a social voice to people who can neither read nor afford a smartphone. Seeded with a handful of users, systems like Polly, Super Abbu, and Baang have grown virally to reach over 300,000 people across Pakistan, India, and West Africa.
Recent highlights
