Switzerland has officially launched Apertus, a national, open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model that is touted as an alternative to models owned by large companies such as OpenAI.
the name Apertus comes from Latin meaning "open," and was developed by the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS), all of which are public institutions.
"Apertus is currently the leading public AI model, built by public institutions for the public good. It's the best evidence yet that AI can become public infrastructure like toll roads, water, or electricity," said Joshua Tan, one of the leading proponents of the AI as public infrastructure initiative.
Unlike most commercial AI models, Apertus is designed to be completely transparent. The public can trace its entire training process, including the source code, documentation, and data used.
This model is also guaranteed to comply with Swiss data protection and copyright laws, making it an attractive option for companies looking to comply with strict European regulations.
