European competition for Open AI: Light at the end of the tech tunnel?

AI language models European competition for Open AI: Light at the end of the tech tunnel?

2023-02-20 Source: Aleph Alpha 2 min Reading Time

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The German AI startup Aleph Alpha recently published a performance comparison of its AI language model Luminous. Confidently, the Heidelberg-based company speaks of the first European AI language model that can compete with American tech giants.

The AI language model Luminous developed in Germany by Aleph Alpha aims to compete at the same level as the developments of OpenAI and Meta AI.(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay) — The AI language model Luminous developed in Germany by Aleph Alpha aims to compete at the same level as the developments of OpenAI and Meta AI.
(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay)

The performance report officially released today suggests, according to Aleph Alpha, that the German development does not need to hide behind the models of OpenAI and Meta AI. Unlike its prominent competitors, Luminous is reportedly the first AI language model that is both developed and hosted in Europe.

At the same time, it is said to be more efficient. It is reportedly easier to scale and consumes fewer resources. The scientific comparison included tasks for classification, evaluation, and creation of texts. Answering questions about specific text contents was also part of the analysis. In this, the model is said to be "a strong alternative" to the US developments, as emphasized by Jonas Andrulis, founder and CEO of Aleph Alpha. Notably, Luminous reportedly operates with only about half as many parameters as its competitors. The German development thus manages with 70 billion parameters, while its overseas competitors can draw on 175 billion.

Model already in practical use

Since October 2022, a system using technology comparable to that of Chat GPT has been tested with a citizen assistant named Lumi for the city of Heidelberg. The chatbot, based on Luminous, can answer individual, non-preprogrammed questions from citizens. This is intended to simplify communication with authorities, especially for people who struggle with language or orthographic barriers. The bot's responses are always based on the data provided by the city. It seems that the transparency issue, which has been repeatedly noted in Chat GPT, has also been addressed. Lumi is reportedly designed to provide the corresponding source from the authorities' data pool with each statement.

A successor model is already in the works. It will be called Luminous-World and is based on a total of 300 billion parameters, aiming to provide new possibilities for highly complex and critical applications. The current testing phase is expected to be completed later this year. What the model will specifically be capable of remains to be seen.

At the same time, the issues of traceability and explainability, which are so important for AI acceptance, are to be further developed. Only in this way can "a sustainable and ethical development be ensured that corresponds to our values and requirements," emphasizes Andrulis. Overall, the project is "an important step towards Europe's technological sovereignty."

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