Saudi Arabia and China have developed an Arabic-language AI system

Experts from Saudi Arabia and China have developed an Arabic-language artificial intelligence system.

The collaboration involved scientists from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data.

The large language model AceGPT was created as an open-source solution based on Meta’s Llama 2.

“The tool not only accounts for the unique syntactic complexities of the Arabic language, but also ensures cultural sensitivity and alignment with local values,” the description says.

The model is designed and trained to operate as an AI assistant for Arabic-speaking users. Researchers warned that in other languages it may not generate ‘satisfactory’ responses to queries.

The developers also noted that AceGPT may have potential shortcomings. Among them they cited possible abuse such as handling confidential information, creating harmful content and supporting disinformation.

The researchers stressed that they did not conduct exhaustive security testing and advised users to ‘exercise caution’.

“We cannot overstate the need for responsible and prudent use of our model. Moreover, our assessments largely relied on data from open sources and on data obtained in the course of the project,” said the international team.

In September, Meta presented a universal suite of AI tools, built in part on the basis of Llama 2.