Thailand will create a local artificial intelligence system: Open ThaiGPT

Thailand is taking steps to reduce its dependence on foreign technologies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Chai Wutiwiwatchai, Executive Director of the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (Nectec), said:

"The country is stepping up its efforts to develop a national version of the pre-trained generative transformer (GPT) model known as Open ThaiGPT.

Having our own GPT model will meet local needs by promoting a robust local ecosystem.

It is a strategic decision aimed at reducing the risks associated with over-reliance on foreign technologies.".

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GPT, a large language model (LLM) technology, is versatile and capable of accomplishing a wide range of tasks, from generating original content to summarizing text and writing code.

In April 2023, Nectec joined forces with three organizations to launch the Open ThaiGPT project.

This next-generation AI initiative is based on the Thai language.

The collaborating organizations are the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneur Association of Thailand, Artificial Intelligence of Thailand (AIAT), and the NSTDA Supercomputer Center.

The project resulted in a cutting-edge, customizable AI assistant that understands the Thai language.

Its development was supported by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

AI chatbots are used in various sectors, including tourism and medicine, as well as in Thai language R&D document search systems.

See: How AI will transform your experience in hotels in Thailand?

Thepchai Supnithi, Director of Nectec's AI Research Group and Vice President of AIAT, said that the Open ThaiGPT project has made significant progress.

It has developed a Thai chatbot system with capabilities comparable to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

In addition, it is flexible enough to connect to external systems and retrieve data.

It is also extensible, customizable, and developed as open-source software.

Open ThaiGPT

Image created by an artificial intelligence program. Photo: The Nation Thailand

The Open ThaiGPT system has increased from 7 billion parameters to 13 billion, and it is planned to expand to 70 billion parameters, said Mr. Thepchai.

Like Japan, South Korea, Norway, and other European countries, Thailand is well-positioned to have its own GPT language model.

Singapore, for example, is developing the first LLM ecosystem in Southeast Asia, adapted to the diverse cultures and languages of the region.

The Open ThaiGPT platform can be used for specific commercial purposes within the framework of data management.

Companies can use it for tasks such as information retrieval, and it can serve as a basis for the use of the framework by foreign technology and commercial companies, notably the Government Big Data Institute.

GPT models can be used in government services and private sectors such as banking and industry.

OpenAI's GPT Store offers a marketplace for customized AI applications.

Users can create and discover customized GPTs for tasks such as teaching mathematics or designing stickers, said Mr. Chai.

"A GPT store would offer new revenue opportunities for developers.

However, they need to work with linguists to build extensive databases. »

GPT Store

Thailand is considering creating its own GPT store to offer customized GPT solutions in the country.

This would ensure security, confidentiality, standardization, and transparency for developers to support specific commercial uses.

OpenAI's GPT store could also enable developers to create customized GPTs to reach consumers, thus providing a new source of revenue.

Mr. Chai proposed ethical guidelines to ensure transparency of LLM data, the possibility of explaining AI, and the absence of bias.

These guidelines would apply to GPT models used for government-related tasks and services.

62nd annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics

CentralWorld shopping center in Bangkok

Thailand is set to host the 62nd annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics in Bangkok from August 11 to 16 at the CentralWorld shopping center.

The event will include an exhibition of global technology companies involved in the AI movement, said Mr. Thepchai.

"The event will accelerate the development of AI projects.

A two-year project could be reduced to 18 months through collaboration between experts.

See also:

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Source: The Thaiger