🔗 Share this article

Worldwide, governments are pouring hundreds of billions into what's termed “sovereign AI” – building national artificial intelligence systems. From Singapore to Malaysia and Switzerland, states are vying to build AI that understands local languages and local customs.

The Worldwide AI Competition

This trend is part of a broader global competition spearheaded by large firms from the US and China. Whereas companies like OpenAI and Meta invest massive funds, developing countries are additionally making independent bets in the artificial intelligence domain.

But given such huge investments involved, is it possible for less wealthy nations attain meaningful gains? According to a analyst from a well-known thinktank, Except if you’re a rich state or a major corporation, it’s a substantial burden to develop an LLM from nothing.”

Defence Issues

Many countries are reluctant to depend on overseas AI technologies. In India, as an example, US-built AI solutions have sometimes fallen short. An illustrative instance involved an AI assistant deployed to teach students in a distant area – it communicated in the English language with a pronounced American accent that was difficult to follow for local students.

Furthermore there’s the defence factor. In India’s military authorities, relying on certain international models is viewed unacceptable. Per an entrepreneur noted, It's possible it contains some unvetted training dataset that might say that, oh, a certain region is separate from India … Utilizing that certain model in a security environment is a major risk.”

He added, I’ve discussed with experts who are in security. They wish to use AI, but, forget about particular tools, they don’t even want to rely on American systems because details could travel outside the country, and that is totally inappropriate with them.”

Domestic Initiatives

Consequently, some countries are funding local projects. An example such project is in progress in the Indian market, in which an organization is striving to create a national LLM with public support. This effort has allocated about a substantial sum to machine learning progress.

The founder envisions a AI that is less resource-intensive than leading systems from American and Asian tech companies. He explains that the nation will have to make up for the funding gap with skill. Based in India, we lack the luxury of investing billions of dollars into it,” he says. “How do we vie against for example the enormous investments that the United States is devoting? I think that is where the core expertise and the brain game is essential.”

Local Emphasis

In Singapore, a public project is supporting language models trained in local native tongues. These languages – including Malay, Thai, Lao, Bahasa Indonesia, the Khmer language and more – are frequently inadequately covered in American and Asian LLMs.

I hope the experts who are building these independent AI systems were aware of just how far and just how fast the frontier is progressing.

An executive engaged in the project says that these tools are created to complement bigger AI, instead of displacing them. Tools such as ChatGPT and another major AI system, he states, commonly find it challenging to handle native tongues and local customs – interacting in unnatural Khmer, for instance, or recommending pork-based recipes to Malaysian individuals.

Creating native-tongue LLMs allows local governments to include cultural nuance – and at least be “informed users” of a sophisticated tool built in other countries.

He further explains, I am prudent with the word independent. I think what we’re trying to say is we want to be more accurately reflected and we aim to understand the abilities” of AI platforms.

Cross-Border Cooperation

For states seeking to carve out a role in an escalating worldwide landscape, there’s another possibility: collaborate. Experts associated with a well-known university have suggested a public AI company distributed among a alliance of middle-income countries.

They refer to the proposal “an AI equivalent of Airbus”, in reference to the European productive initiative to create a alternative to a major aerospace firm in the mid-20th century. The plan would entail the establishment of a state-backed AI entity that would combine the assets of various nations’ AI projects – for example the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the French Republic, Switzerland and the Kingdom of Sweden – to establish a competitive rival to the American and Asian giants.

The lead author of a report outlining the proposal states that the idea has drawn the consideration of AI officials of at least three states up to now, along with multiple state AI organizations. Although it is presently centered on “mid-sized nations”, developing countries – Mongolia and Rwanda for example – have also shown curiosity.

He elaborates, Currently, I think it’s just a fact there’s diminished faith in the promises of the existing White House. Individuals are wondering like, can I still depend on any of this tech? In case they decide to