Generative AI, especially Large Language Models (LLMs), are changing how we create content, find information, and solve problems. It creates text, content, and commands that are as good as what humans can produce, all from simple instructions we give it. Generative AI is set to transform how we interact with machines and each other.
A standout company making big moves to advance generative AI is Mistral. This French AI startup made headlines for securing massive funding in its initial funding round, and for good reason. In this article, we dive into what Mistral is all about, the AI technology it’s working on, and its contributions to the field.
What are large language models?
Large language models (LLMs) are the basis for AI chatbots and much more. Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes
The birth of a new AI powerhouse in Paris
Based in Paris, Mistral, a new star in the AI world, was formed in April 2023 by Arthur Mensch as the CEO, Timothée Lacroix handling the tech side as the CTO, and Guillaume Lample, the brains behind science, as the chief science officer. These founders aren’t new to the game. They come from big names like Google DeepMind and Meta.
They have some heavy hitters backing them. The French investment bank Bpifrance and Eric Schmidt, who used to be the CEO of Google, now have a stake in what Mistral is building. Four weeks after setting up shop, in June 2023, Mistral made headlines by raising $113 million in its first round of funding. This move got people talking about an “AI bubble,” especially since Mistral pulled this off without having a product or customers.
But Mistral didn’t sit on this funding. It was quick to show what it could do. Mistral unveiled its Mistral 7B language processing model in September 2023. Not stopping there, it pushed further, and in December 2023, it introduced Mistral 8x7B. Mistral is on a fast track, turning heads and setting the pace in the AI world.
Source: Mistral AI
Mistral 7B, the AI model breaking new ground
Mistral 7B is a powerful model with 7.3 billion parts. It understands English and programming code, and it can keep track of up to 8,000 pieces of information at once.
What sets Mistral 7B apart is that anyone can use it, whether you’re playing around with AI, a huge company, or the Pentagon, without restrictions. It’s shared under the Apache 2.0 license, meaning it’s free for anyone to use and modify as long as they have the setup to run it or can afford the cloud services needed. This approach to sharing Mistral 7B lets all sorts of people and organizations use and tweak it.
When it comes to performance, Mistral 7B is a standout. It’s better than LLaMA 2 13B on every test and challenges LLaMA 1 34B on many of them. Mistral 7B can handle code-related tasks almost as well as Code LLaMA 7B while also being great at understanding English. This dual skill set is a big win for anyone working on AI, especially for projects that need to juggle computer code and regular language. It’s an exciting tool that opens up new doors for what we can do with AI.
Mixtral-8x7B, Mistral AI’s next big leap
Mixtral-8x7B, or simply Mixtral, is the second big project from Mistral AI, building on its first success. Mixtral is a Mixture of Expert (MOE) model with the same architecture as Mistral 7B, except that each layer consists of 8 feedforward blocks.
Think of Mixtral as a team of people where each member has a unique talent. When Mixtral faces a challenge, it picks the best two skills out of the eight for the task. This means it can adapt and choose differently each time, making the most of a vast pool of abilities (47 billion options) using a select slice (13 billion) for efficiency and precision.
Mixtral takes chatting to a new level, making every conversation flow smoothly and sticking to the topic better. This model excels at diving into complex, nuanced discussions, with its improved common sense reasoning and world knowledge. This model isn’t only versatile. It knows five languages: French, Spanish, Italian, English, and German.
It’s so good at what it does that it surpasses GPT-3.5 and LLaMA 2 70B in most comparisons. Plus, similar to Mistral 7B, Mixtral is open source, making it freely available for anyone to use or modify. This accessibility, combined with its cutting-edge capabilities, makes Mixtral a top open-weight model.
Source: Mistral AI
Mistral AI is opening new frontiers across sectors
Mistral AI’s large language models are at the forefront of innovation, offering solutions for multiple industries. With its flexibility and open source design, Mistral AI invites users to customize its capabilities to fit their specific use cases. Here are some potential applications of Mistral AI.
Content creation with Mistral AI’s generative capabilities
You can build powerful chatbots that respond to customer queries in a human-like manner with Mistral AI’s models. Imagine an online retail store chatbot that can answer FAQs about products and policies and provide personalized shopping advice, similar to a knowledgeable salesperson in a physical store. This bot can also guide customers through their purchasing journey, offering recommendations based on their preferences and past purchases.
Mistral AI, bridging languages for seamless international business
Mistral AI is like having a multilingual expert at hand, making it easy to break down language barriers. It becomes effortless to translate reviews, product descriptions, and instructions. This capability makes Mistral AI a powerful tool in global communication strategies for businesses and startups.
The co-developer speeding up bug fixes and code optimization
The platform’s natural coding abilities allow it to assist in software development processes. Imagine a software development team working on a complex project with tight deadlines. Mistral AI could help by generating code snippets, suggesting bug fixes, and optimizing existing code, acting as an invaluable co-developer that speeds up the development process.
Automation and innovation with Mistral AI’s analytical power
Mistral AI offers a competitive edge to businesses through its exceptional understanding of natural language, making it good at deciphering complex datasets. This analysis can help discover new trends and opportunities that might go unnoticed. Mistral AI optimizes business operations by automating workflows and decision-making. It can handle the repetitive tasks and free up human resources for more strategic activities.
The roadmap for AI
Artificial Intelligence technologies like Mistral could become everyday helpers, integrated into smart home devices to make our lives easier. Even with their advanced features, these systems can only partially grasp human context or make ethical decisions the way people do.
As a result, it’s imperative to be aware of how technologies like Mistral might be misused or underperformed. With a focus on responsible development, AI can further our capabilities and reflect our values, allowing us to build a future in which AI improves human lives instead of complicating them.
Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
