Russia is diving into the AI race with the launch of Sberbank’s GigaChat, an AI chatbot that is reportedly more advanced than Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT. GigaChat is advanced when it comes to communicating intelligently in Russian and producing pictures, according to The Moscow Times. Herman Gref, CEO of Sberbank, said GigaChat is a “hugh breakthrough for the larger universe of Russian technology”. It can be used by anyone, even students and researchers, for serious scientific work.
Sberbank has invested heavily in technology, attempting to lessen Russia’s reliance on imports. Following Gref’s sanctions by Western governments for the Russian occupation of Ukraine in 2021, the bank experienced an 80% drop in net profits in 2022 after being excluded from the S.W.I.F.T. system and withdrawing from the European market. The launch of GigaChat is a step in Russia’s competition with the United States in the tech space.
The chatbot will initially be released to a small group of testers accepted via the closed Telegram channel. But tech experts are raising caution about the development of advanced AI systems and have called for a six-month pause to examine potential risks to safety, privacy, data protection, decision-making, and human rights. The Future of Life Institute has signed a letter with over 1,100 signatories from the tech and education industries, stressing the need to focus on making today’s AI systems more trustworthy, accurate, safe, transparent, and loyal.
Sberbank is the biggest bank in Russia and is majority state-owned. Founded in 1841, the company provides a wide range of banking and financial services, such as asset management, corporate banking, retail banking, real estate financing, and leasing. Sberbank has become an important part of Russia’s financial system and its growth into a digital era.
Herman Gref is a notable figure in the banking and economic development of Russia. A former minister in Putin’s first two terms, Gref has led Sberbank for more than 15 years, steadily pushing for advancement in technology for the company. He continues to encourage Russia’s technological development, even under the restrictions of the Western sanctions. With the launch of GigaChat, he looks to push Russia towards the future of AI.
