Russia's largest lender Sberbank has launched its own generative artificial intelligence tool, GigaChat, to rival Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.
Its multimodal neural network technology is currently in an invite-only testing phase.
The model can answer users’ questions, carry out a conversation, write a programme code to develop software, and create texts and images based on descriptions within a single context, the company said on Monday.
GigaChat supports “multimodal interaction and is better trained in the Russian language”, it added.
“Sber’s new solution that we have introduced today is breakthrough for the whole universe of Russian technologies,” said Herman Gref, president and chairman of the board at Sberbank.
“GigaChat is unique in its open architecture while the model’s global analogs stick to closed AI principle. It is important that GigaChat can be employed not only by mass users who like to experiment with innovation, but also by students and even scholars for research papers.”
Sberbank’s SberDevices — a manufacturer of smart devices founded in 2019 — and Sber AI teams participated in the model development with support from Moscow’s Artificial Intelligence Research Institute.
The global generative AI market is expected to reach $188.62 billion by 2032, growing at an annual rate of more than 36 per cent, from $8.65 billion last year, data from market research company Brainy Insights shows. The North American region has dominated the market this past year.
Launched in December, San Francisco-based research company OpenAI’s ChatGPT comes up with human-like responses to prompts in seconds, based on information publicly available on the internet. The programme has become hugely popular, while also raising concerns about what it is being used for and its accuracy.
Entering the race of generative AI, Google launched Bard in February.
In the same month, Microsoft announced its new AI-powered Bing search engine that aims to deliver better searches, more complete answers, a new chat experience and the ability to generate fresh content.
A number of experts have been engaged to ensure GigaChat has specific skills for the correct execution of instructions with full accuracy. The neural network has been trained on Christofari Neo, the second supercomputer of Sberbank launched in November 2021.
“GigaChat implements a number of solutions aimed at preventing the use of generative models that contradict the AI code of ethics … our team of developers will continue to refine the neural network’s capabilities with particular emphasis on ethics and security,” Sberbank said.
Sberbank’s virtual assistant Salut is one of the first products expected to shortly gain all the capabilities of the new model.
The lender has a distribution network of about 14,000 branches.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
