Following the success of our SEACrowd project, we’re excited to announce SEA-VL, a new open-source initiative to create high-quality vision-language datasets specifically for Southeast Asian (SEA) languages! We’re calling on contributors to help us build a SEA-specific vision-language model.
SEA-VL is a big initiative, so we have decided to split it into two phases. In Phase 1 of SEA-VL, we’re looking for self-taken, culturally-relevant images with descriptions about the shared image. This will be cleaned and compiled into a comprehensive open-access SEA-relevant image dataset. This dataset will serve as the foundation for Phase 2, where we’ll develop instruction-tuning VL datasets and build a SEA-specific vision language model (VLM) using the constructed dataset.
Phase 1 is open from 11 Nov 2024 to 15 Feb 2025. More details about Phase 2 will be shared at the end of Phase 1.
Why Contribute?
As with SEACrowd, every contribution to SEA-VL will earn points. Reaching 200 points in Phase 1 will guarantee co-authorship in our publication for ACL 2025.
Live contribution tracking monitor will be open soon!
How can I contribute?
Phase 1 is split into two main tasks: culturally-relevant image submission and image review. Here’s how points are awarded:
Task 1: Submit a SEA Culturally-Relevant Image (1-2 points per photo)
Submission is simple! Just go to this form and provide your self-taken, culturally relevant photo with a brief description.
Points:
- 1 point for images from Indonesia, Singapore, and Phillippines
- 1.5 points for images from Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam
- 2 points for images from Brunei, East Timor, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
Task 2: Review Image-Description Pairs (1 point per review)
To participate in reviewing, contributors must first pass a short test. Details on how to get started will be released by November 25, 2024.
What Qualifies as a “Culturally-Relevant Image”?
Any image that reflects an aspect of SEA culture is welcome! This could include food (e.g., eating Nasi Goreng), locations (e.g., Manila’s Escolta Street), events (e.g., Lunar New Year festivities), or cultural day-to-day practices (e.g., eating with hands). As long as it connects to SEA culture, it’s a great fit!
Only images that you have personally taken are eligible.
All images will be openly licensed under the CC-BY-SA 4.0 license, so please ensure you own full rights to them before submission.
Project Timeline
Here’s our schedule for Phase 1:
- 11 Nov 2024: Task 1 - Culturally-Relevant Image Collection opens
- 25 Nov 2024: Task 2 - Culturally-Relevant Image Review opens
- 15 Jan 2025: Contribution ends
- 15 Feb 2025: ACL 2025 submission deadline
Join the Community!
Check out our GitHub page, and join our Discord server. Everyone is welcome to discuss and ask questions there!
FAQs
- Will Phase 1 authorship guarantee authorship in Phase 2?
- No. Co-authorship in Phase 2 will have its own points system as the tasks will differ from Phase 1. Points from Phase 1 will not carry over.
- Can I submit an image I posted online if I still own the copyright?
- Yes, as long as you took the image and still hold the copyright.
- Do images need to be high quality?
- No, phone-quality images are perfectly acceptable as long as they’re not blurry or obstructed.
- Can I submit images that reflect SEA culture but were taken outside of SEA?
- Yes, images taken abroad are welcome if they are culturally relevant.
- Do I have to be a resident of the SEA culture represented in the photo I submit?
- No, you do not.
- Have more questions?
- Join our Discord server and we’ll be happy to help!
