Chinese AI Firms Boost Local LLMs in Emerging Markets

Chinese AI firms are actively supporting the development of local large language models in emerging markets. This collaboration addresses a critical need, as leading global models often overlook less-used languages. One example is in Kenya, where a digital human, backed by a Chinese tech company, demonstrates business services for Safaricom. Chinese AI companies are partnering with host nations to build models tailored to local languages and industries. iFLYTEK, for instance, has developed its Spark large language model, which supports over 130 languages for speech recognition and simultaneous interpretation. For the ASEAN market, iFLYTEK created the Spark ASEAN Multilingual Large Model Base, covering 10 languages like Malay and Vietnamese. This base offers performance comparable to top international models with smaller sizes, making deployment efficient. iFLYTEK has also signed agreements in countries like Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand, setting up a multilingual intelligent dubbing and translation center in Malaysia. The company's vice president, Dong Bin, notes a strong demand for large models customized for local languages, as mainstream English models often fall short in these markets. iFLYTEK has also open-sourced its large model, allowing nearly 600,000 overseas developer teams to build custom products. This initiative helps bridge the technological gap for communities with less-used languages.