Artificial intelligence has become remarkably good at generating text, images and code. Now it's learning how to invent entirely new languages.
Morris Alper, an incoming assistant professor of computer science at the University of Miami, has developed ConlangCrafter, an AI system capable of creating complete fictional languages with their own grammar, vocabulary and linguistic structure.
Unlike systems that simply generate random words, ConlangCrafter first establishes a consistent set of grammatical rules before producing sentences that follow those rules, much like a real spoken language.
More Than Fantasy Worlds
Constructed languages have long fascinated audiences, from Klingon in Star Trek to Elvish in The Lord of the Rings and Dothraki in Game of Thrones.
ConlangCrafter brings that concept into the AI era by automating much of the creative process.
According to Alper, the technology could allow video game developers and virtual world creators to generate unique languages for fictional cultures, creating more immersive experiences than previously possible.
Supporting Endangered Languages
Beyond entertainment, the research has a more practical ambition.
Thousands of languages worldwide have limited digital resources, making them difficult to support with modern AI systems that are typically trained on widely spoken languages such as English or Chinese.
By teaching AI how language structures are built from the ground up, researchers hope to develop better tools for documenting and supporting under-resourced and endangered languages.
With more than half of the world's approximately 7,000 languages potentially disappearing by the end of the century, improved AI language technology could play a role in future preservation efforts.
AI Meets Linguistics
The project reflects a growing area of AI research that combines machine learning with linguistics, exploring not only how computers understand language but also how they can generate entirely new communication systems.
Rather than focusing solely on commercial AI applications, the research demonstrates how artificial intelligence can contribute to creativity, education and cultural preservation.
What This Means for Miami
The University of Miami continues to expand South Florida's AI research ecosystem into new disciplines beyond healthcare, robotics and climate science. Research projects like ConlangCrafter demonstrate how AI is increasingly intersecting with linguistics, digital creativity and language preservation.
For Miami's growing gaming, education and creative technology communities, the work also highlights the region's expanding role in applied AI research. As universities attract specialists in emerging fields like computational linguistics, South Florida is broadening its AI expertise beyond startups and enterprise software into areas where artificial intelligence meets culture, communication and human creativity.