Rakuten, which is the parent company of the popular instant messaging app Viber, is planning to launch its own artificial intelligence (AI) language model (chatbot), the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani recently told the US news channel CNBC. The news brings a new development for the company as it sets sights on joining other large tech firms in designing large language model (LLM) chat service.
The company’s CEO Mikitani said that the company is working on its AI chatbot. LLMs which powers the currently trending AI chatbots are incredibly powerful AI algorithm which executes deep learning technologies and large data to generate intelligent content. They can understand text and images and generate human-like responses at epically fast speed.
Currently, LLMs are used most for conversational AI for chatbots, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini AI serve as the best example. OpenAI’s chatbot is based on the GPT-3.5 language model while there is an option for the paid model GPT-4. Already, Rakuten has integrated AI capabilities in Viber with an AI chatbot. However, the LLM venture would be a next-level uplift for the company.
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Rakuten Viber could use its large language model AI chatbot to boost its business
Mikitani said that Rakuten has a wide range of businesses from banking, and eCommerce, to telecommunications and so, it boasts unique data to train its LLM. “Nobody has a dataset like we do,” he claimed. The company reportedly plans to use the AI model internally to enhance its operational efficiency and marketing by 20% and give the company a “huge profitable growth.” The AI chatbot will be on offer to third-party businesses too. “So, we can easily teach them [businesses], package it. Then, also provide the platform for them to completely they can use it for their business,” Mikitani asserted. Check out: Samsung revolutionizing upcoming phones with Galaxy AI- A comprehensive AI package
Although the CEO was quick to state that the AI chatbot could be launched in a couple of months, a company spokesman later clarified that there is no specific timeline for its unveiling. However, he did mention that some announcements could be made regarding its language model.
Rakuten could make some major announcement on its AI chatbot development in early 2024
So far, US-Chinese tech giants have launched their large language models. US firms such as Open AI and Google have brought ChatGPT and Bard respectively. In China, Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent have launched their equivalents- Ernie Bot, Tongyi Qianwen, and Hunyuan. Now, the Japanese tech firm is stepping up to build its proprietary LLM.
The Big Tech are stirring the AI battle and it’s going beyond the US geographically and by services. With AI becoming ever-more powerful, artificial intelligence will have a defining prospects in our lives. What’s your opinion on the growing developments of AI on devices? Elon Musk is clearly not a fan of AI- Read here: Elon Musk Among the Global Tech Leaders Demand AI Development to Stop) but what about you? Do share your perspective in our comment section below.
