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Singaporean researchers to help create Indonesian language-based AI
Researchers feel AI systems trained on predominantly English language and Western culture fail to grasp unique cultural nuances and linguistic demands of Indonesia.
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Deputy Communications and Information Minister Nezar Patria (second left), Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryopratomo (second right), KORIKA president Hammam Riza (left), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) center for data science and information research, electronics and informatics head Esa Prakasa (fourth left) and GDP Venture chief technology officer On Lee (right) pose for a photo on Nov. 30 in Jakarta after the signing of a partnership agreement with AI Singapore for the development of a large language model for Indonesian involving Glair.ai, Datasaur.ai, BRIN, KORIKA and AI Singapore. (JP/Ruth Dea Juwita)
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I Singapore has inked a partnership with Indonesian developers for an open-source large language model (LLM) specifically tailored to the Indonesian language to decrease bias and promote cultural sensitivity in artificial intelligence (AI).
While American generative AI applications like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Meta’s Llama and Google’s Bard are available for use in almost every country, research in the domain remains centered on the English language and Western culture.
The greater a cultural distance a country has from the United States, the lesser the similarity between the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) and humans, according to AI Singapore, reflecting a need to create AI systems trained with local expertise to adapt to local linguistic nuances and demands.
In a panel discussion following the partnership signing ceremony at Jakarta’s Plaza Senayan on Thursday, William Tjhi, head of applied research for foundation models at AI Singapore, highlighted the importance of this collaboration in developing AI solutions resonating with Southeast Asia’s diversity features and prioritizing cultural sensitivity as well as diverse use cases.
“We aim to align values on security and cultural sensitivity. Understanding what’s sensitive in another country requires local expertise, which is why having Indonesian partners is crucial,” William said.
Under AI Singapore’s Southeast Asia Languages in One Network (SEA LION) LLMs family, this model will be primed and fine-tuned for the region, starting with Indonesian as the most widely spoken language, according to the researcher.
For the development of the Indonesian LLM, the Singapore-based research center will collaborate with Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and Collaboration for Research and Innovation in Artificial Intelligence (KORIKA) and alongside local start-ups Glair.ai and Datasaur.ai, both portfolio companies of Jakarta-based GDP Ventures.
