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Meta Apologizes, Fixes Kannada Translation Error; Karnataka Urges Suspension

Meta says its AI model is fixed after the translation mishap; Karnataka’s government insists the feature remain off until it partners with Kannada linguists

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah urged Meta to improve translation accuracy, highlighting similar issues globally.
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Overview

  • Meta’s auto-translation tool wrongly declared Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah dead when translating a condolence post on Facebook and Instagram, causing widespread confusion.
  • Siddaramaiah condemned the mistranslation on social media and directed his media advisor, K. V. Prabhakar, to formally request that Meta suspend Kannada auto-translation until accuracy improves.
  • A Meta spokesperson acknowledged an AI-driven error, issued an apology and confirmed that the faulty Kannada translation glitch has been corrected.
  • The Government of Karnataka is demanding a temporary halt to the Kannada auto-translation feature and a formal collaboration with qualified Kannada language experts before restoring it.
  • Similar Meta translation mishaps in Myanmar, Palestine and Malaysia highlight the risks of relying solely on AI for nuanced regional language content.