IFlytek Launches New AI 'Spark Model' To Compete With ChatGPT

Illustration of the AI model developed by China. (photo: dock. pexels)

JAKARTA - China's government-funded artificial intelligence (AI) company, iFlytek, has just announced the launch of the "Spark Model" AI system designed to compete directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The launch took place at a technology event at Hefei called "Spark Desk" and featured a full demonstration of the capabilities of the new system.

iFlytek founder and president, Liu Qingfeng, told event participants that the Spark Model - also referred to as a "big cognitive model" - constitutes "generalized artificial intelligence."

While there is no scientific agreement on whether artificial intelligence (also called generalized artificial intelligence, or AGI) may even be used with current machine learning techniques, Liu Qingfeng offers comparisons with ChatGPT and launch times.

.#China's leading intelligent speech and artificial intelligence (AI) company iFLYTEK launched its generative language model on Saturday. The company said it will keep updating it to a version better than the rival ChatGPT by Oct.. pic.twitter.com/zjSrPbAXKy

— Beijing Daily (@DailyBeijing) May 8, 2023

.#China's leading intelligence speech and artificial intelligence (AI) company iFLYTEK launched its generating language model on Saturday. The company said it will keep updating it to a version better than the rival ChatGPT by Oct. pic.twitter.com/zjSrPbAXKy

"This season, we will continue to improve the big model, and on October 10, we will surpass ChatGPT in Chinese and reach the same level as English," Liu Qingfeng said, quoted by Cointelegraph.

Details about the basic technology that drives the Spark Model are still small and still undisclosed, but Liu Qingfeng explains the AI capabilities as "deep ahead of existing and measurable systems in China."

A direct comparison between ChatGPT and similar models can be difficult without side testing. Not only OpenAI stores training details and other disseminated property information, but ChatGPT is also banned in China - a fact that limits OpenAI's ability to train its models in Chinese language and culture.

China's current ban on ChatGPT is considered limiting, especially compared to Hong Kong - a city designated as a special administrative area of the People's Republic of China - where there is no ban on the use of technology such as ChatGPT and cryptocurrencies.

In Hong Kong and across the west, ChatGPT is increasingly popular with cryptocurrency users and companies because of its ability to generate code and as the basic technology for the development of state-of-the-art trade bots and portfolio analysis.

If the proposed upgrade to the Spark Model succeeds in providing an advantage to iFlytek over OpenAI and ChatGPT, it will represent a monumental moment in the world of technology. ChatGPT is considered one of the most powerful generative AI systems today.

According to Liu Qingfeng, the company's research department began working on the Spark Model just six months ago, on December 22, 2022. In comparison, OpenAI began developing its GPT product predecessor in 2015. ChatGPT was only launched on November 30, 2022.