"SwissGPT": Swiss alternative to ChatGPT launched
For now, it’s mainly U.S. AI companies that are making headlines with their large language models. The startup AlpineAI, in which several Swiss AI labs have a stake, aims to change that. To kick things off, it’s offering companies a Switzerland-friendly alternative to ChatGPT.
A new Swiss startup wants to get in on the AI market. AlpineAI "has a vision to redefine work in companies in the face of monumental advances in technology and society, while upholding the role of humans," according to a press release. Among the founders are representatives from several AI labs, including the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW.
One of the founders is Pascal Kaufmann, CEO of Mindfire and founder of the AI center Lab42. "We want to strengthen innovative companies and cutting-edge research in Switzerland," he says when asked by the Web Week and admits that the name AlpineAI is not coincidentally reminiscent of the US company OpenAI: "Artificial intelligence is too important a technology. We shouldn't just leave this field to the US and big tech companies."
SwissGPT should display sources of information
Among the first products AlpineAI will offer is SwissGPT - a service that is "compatible with Europe and Switzerland," according to the announcement. SwissGPT is based, among other things, on Falcon, a novel large language model (LLM) with roots at EPFL, Kaufmann said in response to an inquiry from the Web Week explains. Unlike ChatGPT, with SwissGPT the source of the result produced can always be traced, he continues. In addition, the data at SwissGPT should remain in Switzerland.
In concrete terms, SwissGPT can be used in companies of almost any size, for example, to support e-mail correspondence: "For this purpose, LLM evaluates the language used in old e-mails and then suggests new e-mails based on this, depending on the topic," says Kaufmann.
Asked when AlpineAI will start offering the service, he says: "As of now. We're already running a few customer installations now. The results are good, so we can offer the service to other companies."
What else SwissGPT can do and what goals AlpineAI is pursuing beyond that, the founders plan to announce at a press conference on Monday in Zurich. (René Jaun/jor)
This article first appeared in the Web Week.
