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Chinese house continue to relinquish AI models that rival the capabilities of system developed by OpenAI and other U.S.-based AI companies .
This workweek , MiniMax , an Alibaba- and Tencent - bet on inauguration that hasraisedaround $ 850 million in venture capital and is appraise at more than $ 2.5 billion , debutedthreenew models : MiniMax - Text-01 , MiniMax - VL-01 , and T2A-01 - HD . MiniMax - Text-01 is a text - only simulation , while MiniMax - VL-01 can see both paradigm and textbook . T2A-01 - HD , meanwhile , generates audio — specifically language .
MiniMax lay claim that MiniMax - Text-01 , which is 456 billion parameters in size , perform better than model such as Google ’s recently unveiledGemini 2.0 Flashon benchmarks like MMLU and SimpleQA , which measure the ability of a mannequin to resolve maths problems and fact - establish questions . Parameters roughly correspond to a model ’s problem - solve skills , and models with more parameters generally perform better than those with fewer parameter .
As for MiniMax - VL-01 , MiniMax says that it rivals Anthropic’sClaude 3.5 Sonneton evaluations that require multimodal intellect , like ChartQA , which task models with answering graph- and diagram - link up queries ( for example , “ What is the vizor time value of the orange line in this graphical record ? ” ) . grant , MiniMax - VL-01 does n’t quite best Gemini 2.0 Flash on many of these tests . OpenAI’sGPT-4oand an heart-to-heart model called InternVL2.5 beat it on several as well .
Of note , MiniMax - Text-01 has an extremely large context windowpane . A model ’s context , or context window , refers to input ( e.g. , text ) that a model see before generating output ( additional text ) . With a context window of 4 million token , MiniMax - Text-01 can analyze around 3 million lyric in one go — or just over five copy of “ War and Peace . ”
For setting ( no pun designate ) , MiniMax - Text-01 ’s setting windowpane is roughly 31 multiplication the size of it of GPT-4o ’s and Llama 3.1 ’s .
The last of MiniMax ’s mannequin released this week , T2A-01 - HD , is an audio generator optimise for speech . T2A-01 - HD can generate a synthetical voice with adjustable cadence , tone , and tenor in around 17 different languages , include English and Chinese , and clone a voice from just 10 seconds of an audio recording .
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MiniMax did n’t publish bench mark results compare T2A-01 - HD to other audio - bring forth poser . But to this newsman ’s auricle , T2A-01 - HD ’s outputs sound on par with audio frequency example fromMetaand startups likePlayAI .
With the exception of T2A-01 - HD , which is solely useable through MiniMax ’s API and Hailuo AI platform , MiniMax ’s new models can be download from GitHub and the AI dev chopine Hugging Face .
Just because the models are “ openly ” available does n’t mean they are n’t locked down in certain aspects , however . MiniMax - Text-01 and MiniMax - VL-01aren’t genuinely open sourcein the mother wit that MiniMax has n’t release the component part ( for instance , grooming data ) needed to re - create them from scratch . Moreover , they ’re under MiniMax ’s restrictive license , which prohibits developer from using the modelling to improve rival AI role model and requires that platform with more than 100 million monthly active users request a special permit from MiniMax .
MiniMax was found in 2021 by former employees of SenseTime , one of China ’s large AI firms . The troupe ’s project include apps like Talkie , an AI - powered role - playing platform along the lines ofCharacter AI , and text - to - television models that MiniMax has released in Hailuo .
Some of MiniMax ’s products have become the subject of venial contention .
Talkie , which was pulled from Apple ’s App Store in December for unspecified “ technical ” reasons , feature AI embodiment of public figures , let in Donald Trump , Taylor Swift , Elon Musk , and LeBron James , none of whom seem to have consented to being featured in the app .
In December , Broadcast magazinereportedthat MiniMax ’s video generator can reproduce the logos of British television TV channel , suggesting that MiniMax ’s models were trained on content from those channels . And MiniMax is reportedlybeing suedby iQiyi , a Taiwanese video streaming service that say MiniMax illicitly trained on iQiyi ’s copyright transcription .
MiniMax ’s newfangled model get in day after the outgoing Biden administrationproposedharsher export rules and restriction on AI engineering for Taiwanese ventures . company in China were already foreclose from buying advanced AI chips , but if the new rule go into burden as indite , company will be faced with stricter caps on both the semiconductor unit tech and models needed to bootstrap sophisticated AI system .
On Wednesday , the Biden administrationannouncedadditional standard focalize on keeping advanced microprocessor chip out of China . Chip foundries and promotional material companionship that want to export certain cow dung will be subjected to all-embracing license requirements unless they exercise greater scrutiny and due app to forbid their merchandise from reaching Taiwanese client .