Taiwan does not need to create something similar to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by US company OpenAI, but rather a generative AI system that caters to its own needs, Taiwan AI Labs founder Ethan Tu (杜奕瑾) said.
Taiwan has the capability to train a large language model (LLM), but there needs to be a “coordinator” to pull the local language databases together for machine learning, Tu told the Central News Agency in an interview.
LLMs consist of a neural network with several parameters trained on large quantities of unlabeled text using self-supervised learning.
Photo: CNA
Employing AI-powered speech recognition models from overseas might not be as effective when trained on text containing Chinese, English and Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Tu said.
As a result, Taiwan AI Labs has opted to develop its own AI-powered model, dubbed “Yating,” to better meet domestic needs, Tu said.
“If Taiwan made something like ChatGPT, it would be meaningless,” Tu said, adding that the economy should not rely too heavily on OpenAI for AI services.
As ChatGPT has become commercialized, if Taiwan mainly relies on OpenAI for AI services, it would have no chance to diversify, he said, adding that when language models are provided by only a few corporations, the market risks monopolization.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), chairman of Taiwan-based contract electronics maker Pegatron Corp (和碩), echoed Tu’s views, saying it would be good for Taiwan to have its own LLM.
However, there needs to be a business model to prevent resources being wasted, Tung said.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
RECORD LOW: Global firms’ increased inventories, tariff disputes not yet impacting Taiwan and new graduates not yet entering the market contributed to the decrease Taiwan’s unemployment rate last month dropped to 3.3 percent, the lowest for the month in 25 years, as strong exports and resilient domestic demand boosted hiring across various sectors, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. After seasonal adjustments, the jobless rate eased to 3.34 percent, the best performance in 24 years, suggesting a stable labor market, although a mild increase is expected with the graduation season from this month through August, the statistics agency said. “Potential shocks from tariff disputes between the US and China have yet to affect Taiwan’s job market,” Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling
RSS