Chinese tech company iFlytek has set its sights on OpenAI with the launch of the Spark Model, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform they claim will surpass ChatGPT before the end of the year. The move was revealed in a demonstration at a tech event in the city of Hefei, after iFlytek founder and president Liu Qingfeng declared it the first step in achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
It is predicted that the Spark Model, sometimes referred to as the “cognitive big model,” will exceed ChatGPT’s capabilities in both English and Chinese by October 10 and join the uppermost echelon of machine learning-driven AI. iFlytek Research and Development began work on the project just 6 months ago and already it is regarded as a level “far ahead of the existing systems being used in China.”
iFlytek, a state-subsidized enterprise, is based in Hefei and is one of the most influential business conglomerates in the artificial intelligence field in the country. They have seen tremendous success in the field of AI, becoming the world leader in all major AI technology competition and receiving awards for their innovation in the past 6 years.
Liu Qingfeng is a Chinese billionaire business magnate who is the co-founder, President and Secretary General of iFlytek. He was named one of the Top 10 Most Influential Figures of China’s IT Industry by Aegis Transform 2017. Qingfeng is a big advocate for the development of AI technology in China and actively speaks about the potential of artificial general intelligence in the country.
However, the fact that ChatGPT is still banned in China means that the potential success of the Spark Model is still not guaranteed, especially when compared to its success in Hong Kong, where the use of ChatGPT and other technologies like cryptocurrency are allowed. Despite this, OpenAI’s GPT-based models have become increasingly popular with cryptocurrency users and companies as they are able to generate code and have proven useful as trading bots and portfolio analysis.
It remains to be seen whether iFlytek can maintain their ambitious timeline and what the ramifications of their Spark Model will be. If successful, it may have the power to shake up both the Chinese and the global AI industry, setting a precedent for the use of artificial general intelligence on a wider scale.
