South Korea’s LG Group introduced an upgraded version of its artificial intelligence software, and demonstrated how it can be used across its businesses ranging from electronics to chemicals.
LG’s foundation model Exaone 2.0, an update to the original version unveiled in 2021, can understand images and learn information in Korean and English. The new version was trained on about 45 million theses and patents as well as 350 million images, the company said.
The firm joins tech companies across the planet launching AI applications akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. LG claims the new bilingual model gives it a head start over domestic conglomerate peers such as Samsung and Hyundai.
“We are the only Korean company that has succeeded in commercializing a bilingual and multi-modal model,” Kyunghoon Bae, head of AI research at LG, said in a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. “AI technologies should be proven by using them for commercial purposes.”
LG’s scientists demonstrated how the software works in various situations. In one example, Exaone analyzed a real-time conversation between a call center employee and a customer complaining about a malfunctioning washing machine. It also proposed some catchy slogans for a cosmetics advertisement.
Read more: How AI-Driven Chatbots Know What to Say
The company plans to sell Exaone across industries, including health care and clean energy, starting this year. The general public can access some of its features for free.
It plans to further develop the model with affiliates like battery giant LG Chem Ltd. and display maker LG Display Co., Bae said. The company is hiring AI talent in various countries, and has opened an AI research center in Michigan.
