French AI company announces new, private model

French AI startup Mistral has unveiled its largest AI model to date, Le Chonk, a private, open-weight model designed to keep user data secure. Unlike popular models from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, which operate on closed models, Le Chonk will be made available to the public on October 27. Government officials and cybersecurity professionals will have access to a version of the model with reduced safety restrictions for testing purposes.

Last month, Mistral raised an impressive €3 billion ($3.4 billion), the largest technology fundraising in Europe. This new model, referred to officially as Mistral Large 4, enables users to download and tailor the weights that dictate its computational processes directly on their servers. An open-weight model allows users to download the software and run it on their own hardware.

Mistral is regarded as Europe's leading AI company, and the new model is touted to outperform many rival open-weight models. Arthur Mensch, Mistral's CEO, declared at an event in Abu Dhabi that Le Chonk surpasses several Chinese models in areas such as cybersecurity. Mensch emphasized at the event that the notion Europe cannot compete is incorrect, underscoring Mistral's commitment to being a safer European alternative compared to its primary US competitors, particularly in light of recent warnings about AI's potential dangers.