Software company MixerBox Inc yesterday launched MixerBox ChatAI, the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Web browser optimized for traditional Chinese.
ChatAI, which uses OpenAI’s GPT-3 language processing model, allows users to create, translate “and even write love letters,” the company said in a statement.
To demonstrate its abilities, the team asked the AI to write a poem about Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of MixerBox
The 72-character response, written in less than a second, praises Taiwan’s natural beauty and its “friendly, warm” people whose “warmth and laughter make Taiwan even more beautiful.”
Taiwanese are being offered first access to ChatAI during a trial period to ensure that they “do not need to wait in line,” MixerBox said.
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, MixerBox has a large footprint in Taiwan.
In December last year, it launched the location-based social network BFF (冰友) to immediate success, drawing more than 500,000 downloads in the first three days and 3 million to date.
Chen Po-chun (陳柏均), leader of the ChatAI team in Taiwan, said that MixerBox aspires to make people’s lives easier with a suite of essential “super apps.”
ChatAI aims to make Internet browsing more convenient and interesting, he said.
Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI in November last year released ChatGPT, which can write natural-language responses to text prompts.
ChatAI is much the same, Chen said, adding that MixerBox is continuing to explore other uses and possibilities for the software.
Attracting more than 100 million users since its launch, ChatGPT has generated controversy around its potential use by students.
The University of Hong Kong has banned its use, while educators in Taiwan are discussing response measures.
Jou Jing-yang (周景揚), convener of the Joint Board of College Recruitment Commission and president of National Central University (NCU), said he has called a special meeting to discuss the issue.
ChatGPT is just one stage in the development of AI and is expected to quickly become more sophisticated, Jou said.
Universities must consider how AI tools can be used to the benefit of teachers, students and research, he added.
NCU vice president for academic affairs Wang Wen-june (王文俊), who serves as executive secretary of the commission, said the commission would hold a meeting to inform universities about how to review application materials for plagiarism or misrepresentation.
These would include checking for similarities against other materials and whether the level of expression is suited to a high-school level, he said.
NCU distributed a questionnaire to students regarding the use of ChatGPT and AI tools, to be completed next week, Wang said.
The results would be used to formulate clear measures to utilize these tools’ benefits and mitigate their drawbacks, he said.
Additional reporting by Rachel Lin
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
UPGRADED MISSILE: The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology is reportedly to conduct a live-fire test of the Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile on Thursday next week The US Army is planning to build new facilities to boost explosives production and strengthen its supply chain, a move aimed at addressing munitions shortages and supporting obligations to partners including Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, Defense News reported. The army has issued a sources sought notice for a proposed Center of Excellence at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the report said. The facility would serve as a hub within the US industrial base for the production of key military explosives, including research department explosives (RDX) and high melting explosives (HMX), while also supporting research and development of next-generation materials. The proposed
SOUTH KOREA DISPUTE: If Seoul continues to ignore its request, Taiwan would change South Korea’s designation on its arrival cards, the foreign ministry said If South Korea does not reply appropriately to a request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, the government would take corresponding measures to change how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. Taipei has asked Seoul to change the wording. Since March 1, South Koreans who hold government-issued Alien Resident Certificates (ARC) have been identified as from “South Korea” rather than the “Republic of Korea,” the
RSS