Russia's Sberbank Launches Its Own AI Chatbot, Gigachat
Russia’s Sberbank has announced the launch of its own artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Gigachat, which will rival the ChatGPT AI chatbot backed by Microsoft. Sberbank's chatbot is considered to excel among its peers, especially ChatGPT, an English language-focused AI chatbot. This is due to its strong Russian-language comprehension and its ability to generate images, which ChatGPT currently lacks.
Sberbank’s CEO Herman Gref has called GigaChat "a breakthrough for the larger universe of Russian technology." Initially, the chatbot will be available to a select group of testers who will be able to sign up through a closed Telegram channel. This new chatbot is not only for tech enthusiasts but can also be used by students or researchers for scientific work.
Sberbank has invested in new and emerging technologies over the years, aiming to foster domestic innovation and reduce its reliance on foreign markets. However, Western sanctions and the invasion of Ukraine have dampened some of these ambitions. Last month, the bank announced almost an 80% fall in net profits for 2022, following its exit from the European market and exclusion from the SWIFT financial transfer system.
