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.
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