The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia has partnered with two Chinese universities to create an Arabic-focused large language model (LLM) named AceGPT. Developed on Meta's Llama 2, AceGPT serves as an AI assistant for Arabic speakers, answering queries in Arabic. The model is enhanced to recognize possible misuse, including mishandling sensitive information or producing harmful content. Users are cautioned to exercise responsibility due to a lack of exhaustive safety checks. Saudi Arabia aims to become a regional leader in AI and emerging technologies.


Saudi University Collaborates with Chinese Institutions to Develop Arabic-Focused AI System, AceGPT


The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia has joined forces with two Chinese universities to create an Arabic-focused large language model (LLM) called AceGPT. Developed on Meta's Llama 2, AceGPT is positioned as an AI assistant for Arabic speakers, capable of answering queries in Arabic. The collaborative effort involves a Chinese-American professor at KAUST, the School of Data Science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHKSZ), and the Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data (SRIBD).


According to information available on the project's GitHub page, AceGPT is designed to cater specifically to Arabic speakers, and its effectiveness in other languages may be limited. The model has been enhanced to recognize potential misuse, encompassing mishandling sensitive information, generating harmful content, spreading misinformation, or failing safety checks. However, the developers caution users to exercise responsibility as an exhaustive safety check has not been conducted.


"We have not conducted an exhaustive safety check on the model, so users should exercise caution. We cannot overemphasize the need for responsible and judicious use of our model."


AceGPT has been developed using open-source data and data crafted by the researchers. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to position itself as a regional leader in emerging technologies, particularly AI. The country has previously collaborated with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on tokens and payments and partnered with the Sandbox metaverse platform to advance its metaverse plans.


In August, U.S. regulators urged AI chip makers Nvidia and AMD to restrict exports of high-level semiconductor chips, commonly used in AI development, to "some" Middle Eastern countries. Despite this, U.S. regulators later clarified that there was no explicit ban on exporting AI chips to the Middle East.


(SAVANNAH FORTIS, COINTELEGRAPH, 2023)