Meta working with Sarvam AI to build vernacular LLMs

Meta has announced a collaboration with Sarvam AI to develop a Large Language Model (LLM) in vernacular languages, revealed a senior official on Thursday.

Speaking at 'The Nudge Forum', Meta's head in India, Sandhya Devanathan, highlighted the significance of this partnership in overcoming the limitations of predominantly English LLMs. "The impact of the work being undertaken by Sarvam to overcome the restrictions posed by largely English LLMs till now, will be exponential," Devanathan stated.

She emphasised the effort invested in enabling vernacular languages, stating, "The amount of effort that is going in to actually enable those in vernacular. In fact, we work with a company called Sarvam."

Devanathan disclosed that Sarvam utilises Meta's free-for-all Llama open-source models for building the LLMs and confirmed that following the development of the Hindi LLM, the initiative will extend to other languages.

While acknowledging the incubation period required for such endeavours, Devanathan underscored the potential impact across India. "The incubation period may take a while, but then the impact of it will be exponential when you start thinking about the impact of what this can have across the length and breadth of India," she commented.

LLM, an abbreviation for Large Language Model, refers to an AI algorithm employing deep learning techniques and vast data sets to comprehend, summarise, generate, and predict new content. Experts note that Generative AI is closely associated with LLMs.

Devanathan elaborated on Meta's extensive use of AI in its operations, particularly highlighting the prominence of Generative AI. "Meta has been using AI for a long time in its business, but it is Gen AI which has become the 'buzzword' now," she remarked.

Hinting at the integration of AI-generated content into its platforms, Devanathan disclosed that approximately a quarter of the recommendations on Instagram are now AI-generated.

Moreover, she highlighted Meta's commitment to leveraging AI for user safety, asserting that content is swiftly removed from the platform before users can view it. Devanathan also noted a significant increase in advertiser returns, citing a rise of almost 30-35 per cent due to the implementation of AI.

In addition, Meta has forged a partnership with the state-promoted open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), with a focus on enhancing the skills of sellers. Devanathan explained that the collaboration aims to facilitate small businesses registered on WhatsApp to sell on ONDC.