🔗 Share this article

Internationally, states are channeling massive amounts into what's termed “sovereign AI” – building national artificial intelligence technologies. Starting with the city-state of Singapore to the nation of Malaysia and the Swiss Confederation, nations are racing to develop AI that grasps local languages and cultural specifics.

The International AI Competition

This trend is an element in a broader global competition spearheaded by tech giants from the US and the People's Republic of China. Whereas organizations like OpenAI and a social media giant pour massive resources, middle powers are also making independent bets in the AI landscape.

Yet amid such vast amounts at stake, can developing countries attain significant gains? As noted by a specialist from a prominent policy organization, Except if you’re a rich nation or a large company, it’s a substantial burden to create an LLM from the ground up.”

National Security Considerations

A lot of countries are reluctant to depend on overseas AI models. In India, as an example, Western-developed AI solutions have sometimes been insufficient. One example involved an AI agent used to instruct pupils in a distant village – it communicated in English with a strong Western inflection that was hard to understand for local students.

Then there’s the defence factor. For the Indian security agencies, relying on particular external models is viewed inadmissible. As one founder commented, There might be some unvetted data source that could claim that, such as, a certain region is outside of India … Employing that certain system in a military context is a serious concern.”

He added, I’ve consulted people who are in the military. They wish to use AI, but, setting aside specific systems, they don’t even want to rely on US technologies because information could travel abroad, and that is absolutely not OK with them.”

Homegrown Initiatives

Consequently, some countries are funding domestic initiatives. An example such a effort is underway in India, wherein a company is working to create a sovereign LLM with government backing. This effort has committed approximately $1.25bn to machine learning progress.

The developer imagines a model that is significantly smaller than top-tier tools from US and Chinese firms. He explains that the nation will have to offset the resource shortfall with expertise. Based in India, we do not possess the advantage of pouring billions of dollars into it,” he says. “How do we vie versus say the $100 or $300 or $500bn that the US is investing? I think that is where the key skills and the intellectual challenge comes in.”

Local Priority

In Singapore, a state-backed program is funding machine learning tools educated in south-east Asia’s local dialects. Such languages – including Malay, the Thai language, the Lao language, Indonesian, Khmer and additional ones – are often underrepresented in Western-developed LLMs.

I hope the individuals who are creating these independent AI models were conscious of just how far and how quickly the frontier is moving.

An executive involved in the program notes that these systems are intended to supplement larger models, rather than substituting them. Tools such as ChatGPT and another major AI system, he states, often have difficulty with local dialects and culture – speaking in unnatural the Khmer language, for instance, or proposing non-vegetarian recipes to Malay consumers.

Developing native-tongue LLMs permits local governments to incorporate cultural sensitivity – and at least be “informed users” of a powerful system developed in other countries.

He further explains, I am prudent with the concept sovereign. I think what we’re aiming to convey is we wish to be more adequately included and we wish to understand the abilities” of AI systems.

International Cooperation

For countries trying to find their place in an escalating worldwide landscape, there’s another possibility: collaborate. Researchers associated with a well-known institution have suggested a public AI company distributed among a consortium of developing countries.

They refer to the project “a collaborative AI effort”, modeled after Europe’s successful play to create a competitor to a major aerospace firm in the mid-20th century. The plan would involve the establishment of a public AI company that would combine the resources of several countries’ AI projects – such as the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the nation of Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the French Republic, the Swiss Confederation and Sweden – to establish a strong competitor to the American and Asian leaders.

The lead author of a paper setting out the concept notes that the proposal has gained the consideration of AI leaders of at least several nations to date, in addition to several state AI organizations. Although it is presently focused on “mid-sized nations”, emerging economies – the nation of Mongolia and the Republic of Rwanda included – have likewise expressed interest.

He explains, Currently, I think it’s just a fact there’s reduced confidence in the assurances of the existing American government. Individuals are wondering such as, should we trust these technologies? In case they choose to