Singapore has launched MERaLiON, a groundbreaking multilingual large language model (LLM) designed to understand Southeast Asia’s diverse languages and cultures. Announced on 28 May 2025 at the Asia Tech X Singapore Summit, MERaLiON is developed by the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research and aims to enhance AI applications with emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
The MERaLiON model, part of Singapore’s National Multimodal Large Language Model Programme, has already seen significant global interest, with over 90,000 downloads since its initial release in December 2024. The latest version introduces expanded language coverage, code-switching capabilities, and improved emotional understanding, allowing for more intuitive AI applications tailored to Southeast Asia’s cultural nuances.
Singapore’s commitment to building a trusted AI ecosystem is evident through initiatives like the Digital Trust Centre, which supports research in AI explainability and robustness with a S$70m investment The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) also presented “The Singapore Consensus on Global AI Safety Research Priorities” to bridge AI research and policy-making.
The MERaLiON Consortium, launched alongside the model, aims to foster collaboration among industry leaders, end users, and researchers to accelerate AI adoption. This initiative supports the development of practical AI applications, from multilingual customer support to healthcare insights.
With projects like MERaLiON, Singapore is poised to maintain its distinct voice in the digital age, ensuring AI technologies are both culturally relevant and emotionally intelligent. The advancements in AI governance and innovation highlight Singapore’s role in shaping global AI norms and applications.
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