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Kalika Bali, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research India, stands at the forefront of innovations in speech and language technology. With a career spanning over two decades, Bali’s work is characterized by a relentless dedication to making technology accessible and equitable, particularly for speakers of marginalized languages.
Current Role and Contributions
Since 2019, Kalika Bali has been a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research Lab India Private Limited, based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Her research focuses on machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and technology tailored for emerging markets. Bali’s work is instrumental in developing linguistic models that facilitate natural human-computer interactions, underscoring the critical importance of socio-cultural contexts in technological advancements.
Career Trajectory
Bali’s journey in the tech industry began at Picopeta Simputer in 2002. She then served as a Research Linguist at Hewlett Packard Labs India from 2003 to 2006. In August 2006, she joined Microsoft as a researcher, where she has since played a pivotal role in numerous groundbreaking projects aimed at enhancing accessibility in technology.
Research Focus
Speech and Language Processing
A core area of Bali’s research involves the development of linguistic models that improve technology accessibility for speakers of low-resource languages. Her work ensures that technological advancements do not leave behind communities that speak languages often underrepresented in AI datasets.
Code-Mixing
Kalika Bali is currently leading Project Mélange, a critical initiative aimed at understanding and processing code-mixed language data. This project is particularly relevant in multilingual societies where individuals frequently blend languages in conversation. Addressing the complexities of code-mixing in both spoken and written forms, especially in social media, Project Mélange seeks to make AI tools more effective for diverse linguistic communities.
Gender-Intentional Datasets
In collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bali is also engaged in creating gender-intentional datasets for five Indian languages. This initiative is crucial in mitigating gender biases in AI training data, striving to ensure that technology is equitable and inclusive for over a billion speakers.
Recognitions and Impact
Bali’s contributions to AI and language technology have not gone unnoticed. In 2023, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI, a testament to her significant impact on advancing technology that serves diverse linguistic communities. Her advocacy for technology that transcends language barriers has been a guiding principle in her work. Reflecting on her vision, she stated, “I think there should be a world where language is no longer a barrier to technology.”
Selected Publications
Bali’s extensive research has been documented in numerous publications, including:
- Challenges in Online Disability Rights Advocacy in India (CHI 2024)
- DOSA: A Dataset of Social Artifacts from Different Indian Geographical Subcultures (LREC/COLING 2024)
- Akal Badi ya Bias: An Exploratory Study of Gender Bias in Hindi Language Technology (FAccT 2024)
These works reflect her ongoing commitment to addressing the challenges faced by speakers of low-resource languages and promoting inclusivity in AI technologies.
Conclusion
Kalika Bali’s work at Microsoft Research India is pivotal in bridging the gap between technology and marginalized linguistic communities. Her dedication to creating inclusive technology that respects and understands cultural contexts positions her as a leader in the field of speech and language processing. Through her pioneering efforts, Bali is not only advancing the field of AI but also ensuring that its benefits are accessible to all, regardless of language or gender.
