The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has thrown its hat into the ring of the global artificial intelligence (AI) race with the release of its new open-source AI model, Falcon 2. Developed by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a research center in Abu Dhabi, Falcon 2 comprises two models – Falcon 2 11B, a text-based large language model (LLM), and Falcon 2 11B VLM, a vision-to-language model.
LLMs are a type of AI that are trained on massive amounts of text data, allowing them to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way. Falcon 2 11B is particularly adept at these tasks, having been trained on a dataset of 5. 5 trillion tokens, putting it on par with Meta’s recently launched Llama 3 and even surpassing its performance according to independent testing.
The second prong of Falcon 2, the 11B VLM, steps into the realm of multimodal AI, where different forms of information are processed together. This model excels at generating descriptions from images, opening doors for applications in fields like document management, digital archiving, and assisting visually impaired individuals.
Beyond its capabilities, a key aspect of Falcon 2 is its accessibility. Unlike many large AI models that require vast computing resources, Falcon 2 is designed to run efficiently on a single graphics processing unit (GPU). This makes it feasible for integration into even personal devices like laptops, fostering broader adoption by researchers and developers.
The UAE’s foray into AI with Falcon 2 signifies a strategic shift for the nation. By offering an open-source model, the TII is fostering international collaboration and innovation in AI research. This not only benefits the UAE’s own technological development but also contributes to the global advancement of AI. Falcon 2’s accessibility further democratizes AI development, allowing a wider range of participants to contribute and benefit from this powerful technology.
The release of Falcon 2 positions the UAE as a serious contender in the AI landscape. With its focus on open-source development and efficient model design, the TII has made significant strides in offering a powerful and accessible AI tool for the global community. This paves the way for exciting possibilities in various fields and underscores the UAE’s commitment to being a frontrunner in the AI revolution.