Poland launches Polish Large Language Model

Poland’s government has launched a Polish Large Language Model (PLLuM) that is freely available for all to use and is intended to support the development of artificial intelligence (AI), in particular in providing public services.

“PLLuM is proof that we can develop modern technologies on our own terms, in our own language, for the benefit of citizens,” said digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski at today’s launch. PLLuM can be chatted with on the ministry’s website and its models are available for download.

“We are creating a foundation for intelligent public services and innovations that will provide real support for both administration and business,” he added. “It is also a step towards Poland’s digital sovereignty – because Polish scientists and the government take responsibility for the development of AI in our country.”

Large language models (LLMs) are trained on vast amounts of data, enabling them to perform tasks such as text generation and translation. They are what power popular AI chatbots such as Open AI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Elon Musk’s Grok.

In 2023, a group of Polish researchers launched a government-backed project to produce a Polish LLM that would be open source and free to use. The aim was for it to become the basis for a Polish-speaking intelligence assistant that can help provide public services.

Speaking at today’s launch, deputy digital affairs minister Dariusz Standerski said 14.5 million zloty (€3.5 million) has already been allocated to developing PLLuM. A further 19 million will now be spent to implement the model into public administration.

“Thanks to this, PLLuM will become a key element in the digitisation of public services and the development of the national AI ecosystem,” said Standerski.

Among the planned functions it will support are a virtual assistant in Poland’s mObywatel system – which provides public information and services to citizens – and another assistant designed to help civil servants by automating document processing, content analysis, information retrieval and answering citizens’ questions.

The digital affairs ministry also intends for PLLuM to be used in education – by developing applications that can support teachers in their work – as well as “to strengthen Poland’s competitiveness in the IT sector and the entire economy”, in particular by supporting the development of products and services based around AI.

Last November, the Polish government announced plans to invest 1 billion zloty in the development of AI, including developing a Polish LLM. Earlier this month it signed a memorandum of understanding with Google establishing a “strategic partnership” to develop AI in Poland.

Polish researchers have already developed other language models, including Bielik, a Polish LLM by the SpeakLeash Foundation, and the Qra models created in a collaboration between the Gdańsk University of Technology and the National Information Processing Institute (OPI).

Main image credit: Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji/X