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.
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
