A French tech firm has released a new, free AI model that can match the best in class, according to its creators. Dubbed Le Chonk, the 1 trillion-parameter model will be available fully to anyone, promising a level playing field for businesses and researchers alike.

Unlike its US competitors, which charge for premium access to their closed models, Mistral provides a free alternative, making it a formidable contender in the AI market. The model is particularly optimized for coding and cyberdefense, but also excels in niche industries such as finance and electrical engineering.

Mistral claims that Le Chonk is the most capable open-source model outside of China, and possibly on par with some of the proprietary models from leading labs. This move could significantly lower the cost of running AI models for businesses, potentially changing the landscape of AI adoption.

Guillaume Lample, co-founder and chief scientist at Mistral, asserts that the company is still racing to develop the best model, stating, 'This is the main message.' Despite having less capital and fewer compute resources than its US counterparts, Mistral has recently seen a surge in funding and revenue, raising $3.3 billion in September.

With Le Chonk, Mistral aims to challenge the dominance of proprietary models from the US and China, providing a cheaper and more accessible alternative to businesses worldwide. Whether this will truly level the playing field or just add another player in the AI race remains to be seen.