What Aboki can't do yet, and why we say so
Answers mostly in English, small-model mistakes, slow phones and no field data yet: the honest limits of offline AI today, and where partners can help.
An AI helper is only useful if you know when to trust it. So here, plainly, is what Aboki cannot do yet. Some of these are limits of small models everywhere; some are work we have not finished.
It mostly answers in English
The app speaks five languages: English, Hausa, Yorùbá, Igbo and Nigerian Pidgin. Every button, label and message can be in your language. But the answers come from the model, and no small model that fits on a phone answers well in Hausa, Yorùbá or Igbo yet. Today, Aboki answers mostly in English.
This is the gap we most want to close. It needs language experts and native speakers to build and test a model that serves these languages properly, not a quick translation layer.
It makes mistakes
Small models know less than large ones and sometimes say wrong things confidently. Aboki reduces this by reading trusted offline library notes before answering on topics it has notes for, and by keeping answers short and simple. It cannot remove the risk. That is why every chat screen says “Aboki can make mistakes. For anything serious, ask a health worker or teacher.”
Aboki Health, our health model, gives general information for adults only. It does not diagnose, and it is never offered in homework mode.
It is slow on cheap phones
Everything happens on the phone. On a 3 GB phone, the first answer takes about a minute to start while the model wakes up, and after that the words appear a few at a time. We would rather be honest about the wait than need your data. You can type your next question while Aboki answers.
It does not know today's news
Offline means offline. Aboki does not know this week's prices, weather, football results or exam dates. It is for understanding things, not looking things up.
Getting it onto phones takes people
The model is a big file, and each phone needs it once. Phone-to-phone sharing helps a lot, but most people will first get Aboki from a school, a community centre, a phone shop or a friend. That network does not exist yet.
There is no field data yet
Aboki has not been piloted. We do not have numbers about how much it helps, and we will not make them up. We are looking for first pilots to find out what works and what does not.
Where partners come in
- Language partners to build and test answers in Hausa, Yorùbá and Igbo.
- Health and education bodies to write and review the library notes Aboki reads.
- Schools, community centres and phone shops to load phones and SD cards.
- Programmes and funders to run careful first pilots.
If that is you, see Aboki for organizations or read our pilot checklist.
