Governments Are Investing Huge Amounts on National Independent AI Solutions – Is It a Significant Drain of Funds?
Internationally, governments are channeling hundreds of billions into what is known as “sovereign AI” – building domestic artificial intelligence technologies. From Singapore to Malaysia and the Swiss Confederation, nations are vying to build AI that grasps native tongues and local customs.
The International AI Arms Race
This trend is an element in a broader worldwide contest led by major corporations from the United States and the People's Republic of China. Whereas companies like a leading AI firm and Meta pour substantial funds, middle powers are also placing their own investments in the artificial intelligence domain.
Yet amid such tremendous investments at stake, is it possible for smaller countries attain significant benefits? As stated by an expert from a well-known thinktank, Except if you’re a wealthy state or a large corporation, it’s a substantial burden to build an LLM from nothing.”
National Security Considerations
Many nations are unwilling to depend on external AI models. In India, as an example, US-built AI systems have at times been insufficient. A particular case involved an AI agent used to teach students in a remote area – it spoke in English with a strong American accent that was hard to understand for local users.
Furthermore there’s the national security aspect. For India’s defence ministry, employing specific international models is seen as unacceptable. As one entrepreneur explained, There might be some unvetted data source that might say that, such as, Ladakh is not part of India … Employing that certain model in a military context is a major risk.”
He continued, “I have spoken to individuals who are in defence. They wish to use AI, but, forget about particular tools, they are reluctant to rely on Western technologies because data could travel abroad, and that is completely unacceptable with them.”
Homegrown Initiatives
As a result, some states are backing domestic ventures. An example this effort is in progress in India, where an organization is striving to develop a sovereign LLM with state support. This effort has dedicated about 1.25 billion dollars to AI development.
The developer foresees a system that is more compact than premier models from American and Asian corporations. He notes that the nation will have to offset the resource shortfall with talent. “Being in India, we don’t have the advantage of investing huge sums into it,” he says. “How do we contend against such as the $100 or $300 or $500bn that the US is devoting? I think that is the point at which the core expertise and the strategic thinking comes in.”
Regional Focus
Across Singapore, a government initiative is funding language models trained in south-east Asia’s native tongues. These languages – including the Malay language, the Thai language, the Lao language, Bahasa Indonesia, Khmer and others – are commonly poorly represented in US and Chinese LLMs.
It is my desire that the people who are building these independent AI tools were conscious of how rapidly and just how fast the leading edge is advancing.
A senior director participating in the initiative notes that these models are intended to supplement larger models, rather than replacing them. Systems such as ChatGPT and Gemini, he comments, commonly find it challenging to handle native tongues and local customs – speaking in awkward Khmer, for instance, or recommending pork-based meals to Malay consumers.
Developing local-language LLMs allows state agencies to incorporate cultural sensitivity – and at least be “knowledgeable adopters” of a powerful tool developed in other countries.
He adds, I am prudent with the word sovereign. I think what we’re attempting to express is we wish to be more adequately included and we aim to grasp the abilities” of AI systems.
International Cooperation
For nations attempting to find their place in an intensifying worldwide landscape, there’s another possibility: collaborate. Researchers associated with a prominent policy school recently proposed a government-backed AI initiative distributed among a group of developing nations.
They refer to the proposal “Airbus for AI”, in reference to Europe’s effective initiative to develop a alternative to Boeing in the mid-20th century. This idea would entail the formation of a government-supported AI organization that would combine the resources of several nations’ AI initiatives – including the UK, Spain, the Canadian government, the Federal Republic of Germany, the nation of Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, France, the Swiss Confederation and Sweden – to establish a viable alternative to the Western and Eastern major players.
The lead author of a paper setting out the concept notes that the idea has drawn the consideration of AI ministers of at least several countries up to now, as well as multiple state AI organizations. While it is now focused on “developing countries”, developing countries – Mongolia and the Republic of Rwanda for example – have also expressed interest.
He explains, Currently, I think it’s simply reality there’s reduced confidence in the commitments of the existing White House. Experts are questioning like, should we trust these technologies? What if they decide to
