We’ve been swarmed with AI chatbots since ChatGPT dropped in late 2022, and now Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, is joining the party with their own OpenAI rival.
Introducing GigaChat, Sberbank’s AI solution, which just launched for limited testing by invite only, according to Reuters. But hold your horses, we’re still not quite sure how far this ChatGPT clone will reach.
With Russia’s National Wealth Fund as Sberbank’s largest shareholder (yup, the one managed by Putin’s government), the bank’s been investing big in tech to reduce dependency on imported products and services, especially since those heavy international sanctions during the Ukraine War. So, it only makes sense for them to jump on the ChatGPT bandwagon and develop an AI chatbot of their own.
Sberbank’s website has an article titled “GigaChat vs. ChatGPT: Sber opens access to its latest neural network model,” but sadly, it’s only accessible in Russia (unless you’re cool with installing Russian Ministry of Digital Development certificates on your browser).
We don’t have specific deets on GigaChat yet, but Sberbank implies it’s a homegrown AI. Reuters reports that the bank’s most hyped feature is that the chatbot can communicate more fluently and intelligently in Russian than other international tools.
As for GigaChat’s reach, who knows? It wouldn’t be shocking if Russia follows China’s footsteps, where companies like Baidu and Alibaba have created their own chatbots to counter ChatGPT’s ban. That move helps China maintain its tight grip on online content moderation, especially with sensitive topics.
So, don’t expect GigaChat to show up beyond Russia’s borders anytime soon. But hey, Sberbank probably isn’t too keen on going international anyway.