Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, has announced the launch of GigaChat, a new AI chatbot technology aimed at competing with ChatGPT. GigaChat is still in invite-only testing mode, but it is likely to become a competitor in the AI chatbot industry soon.
The release of ChatGPT in 2022 by Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI has sparked a race in the tech sector to produce more approachable and intuitive AI technology. Sberbank’s GigaChat entry into this market comes as Russian enterprises seek to lessen their reliance on foreign technology.
According to Sberbank, what distinguishes GigaChat from its competitors is its superior capacity to speak more intelligently in Russian than other international neural networks. This is especially crucial in a country like Russia, where a large percentage of the population chooses to communicate in Russian.
Interestingly, GigaChat was developed by a lending bank investing in technology to lessen Russia’s reliance on Western imports, rather than a Russian technology company. With Russia facing sanctions for its involvement in Ukraine, it is unclear how it would obtain the advanced chips required to further AI research and development. The bank has made significant investments in technology in recent years, and it expects that GigaChat will help drive innovation and change the way people work and conduct business in Russia.
Who Are the Biggest Competitors of GigaChat?
Global superpowers have recognised the potential of artificial intelligence and have developed their own versions of formidable tools. China has also entered the competition with two contenders; Tongyi Qianwen of Alibaba and Baidu’s Ernie chatbot. These Chinese AI tools, like the Russian equivalent GigaChat, will be able to speak in the country’s original dialects.
Bard, the AI chatbot from Google has begun to roll out, but only to a select group of users who must be at least 18 years old. Unlike its viral rival ChatGPT, it has a “Google it” button that accesses searches and can access current information from the internet. Additionally, it cites Wikipedia and other fact-checking websites.