The European Union is initiating a project to create a large language model, which is being coordinated by Czech computer linguist Jan Hajič from Charles University in Prague. This model aims to be completed by 2027 and seeks to address the shortcomings of existing American and Chinese models. Hajič highlights the challenges faced in Europe regarding capital investment and tech entrepreneurship, indicating that it is considerably easier to establish technology companies in Silicon Valley, California. This has contributed to a lack of significant efforts in Europe, apart from a few exceptions like Mistral in France.

Hajič is responsible for coordinating the research and development efforts of 20 European companies, institutions, and universities involved in this multilingual project. Unlike the US and China, Europe presents itself as a multilingual community, officially recognizing 24 languages, with plans to include languages from countries negotiating for EU membership such as Georgian and Armenian. This diversity aims to make the European AI model more inclusive and representative of the continent's linguistic landscape.

The initiative reflects Europe's ambition to establish its own presence in the AI field, potentially leading to innovations that could surpass American and Chinese advancements. By nurturing this multilingual approach and fostering collaboration among various European entities, the project could catalyze the growth of AI technologies in Europe, which have been lagging in comparison to other global players.