A new AI chatbot, Evaristo.ai, has been launched, marking a significant step for generative AI in the European Portuguese language. Developed by the NLX-Natural Language and Speech Group at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon – NLX Grupo da fala e linguagem natural – and its spinoff OUSAR.AI, Evaristo.ai is the first open, multi-model, and multi-heteronym chatbot specifically for Portuguese.
The platform is designed for a variety of users, including scientists and healthcare professionals, offering a unique tool for research, development, and technological literacy in generative AI.
Key Features of Evaristo.ai
Evaristo.ai distinguishes itself through several key functionalities:
- Multi-Model Capability: Users can choose from a “jukebox” of different Large Language Models (LLMs) to power their interactions. This allows for the testing and comparison of various open models, such as Gervásio 8B PTPT, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct, and others, each with distinct characteristics and training data. This feature enables users to explore the advantages and disadvantages of each model for specific tasks.
- Multi-Heteronym Personas: The chatbot allows users to freely write system prompts, effectively designing the “persona” or personality the chatbot assumes for a given interaction. This flexibility is crucial for specialized applications where a specific conversational style or focus is required.
- Agentive and Multi-Extension: Evaristo.ai can be enhanced with various extensions that expand its capabilities. These include functionalities like internet search, calculations, and even image generation. This “agentive” nature allows the chatbot to perform tasks beyond simple text generation.
- Multi-Modal: Through its extensions, the chatbot can handle different data types, not just text. For example, some extensions can process images, adding a multi-modal dimension to its capabilities.
An Open and Secure Platform
A core principle of Evaristo.ai is its commitment to open AI and user privacy. The platform utilizes open-source LLMs, promoting transparency and allowing the community to contribute to and build upon the technology.
Crucially, Evaristo.ai does not track its users or share their data with third parties, ensuring user privacy and data ownership. The service is free, non-commercial, and does not rely on reselling or adapting third-party chatbot services.
For Research and Specialized Applications
The development team highlights the platform’s potential as a foundation for more specialized tools. The press release explicitly invites organizations to consult with the Evaristo.ai team for collaborations, including the development of specialized adaptations, private versions, and local installations. This opens possibilities for creating tailored AI assistants for clinical or research settings, leveraging the platform’s open and privacy-focused architecture. For more intensive research purposes, interested parties are encouraged to contact the service providers for potential alternative access.
The Development Team
Evaristo.ai was created by the same pioneering team responsible for the first open LLMs for Portuguese: Albertina (encoders), Serafim (vectorizers), and Gervásio (decoders). The project is made available through PORTULAN CLARIN, the Research Infrastructure for Language Science and Technology, which is part of the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Relevance.
This initiative represents “a decisive milestone in the democratization of generative technology, through open AI,” stated António Branco, the project coordinator and professor at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon. He emphasized its role in encouraging entities to develop their own AI services for specific use cases, thereby promoting linguistic and cultural sovereignty.
For scientists and healthcare professionals, Evaristo.ai offers a robust and transparent platform to explore, test, and potentially develop generative AI applications in European Portuguese, with the assurance of privacy and data control.
Models and plugins
Still in the early phases, but the offer extends to several open source models with a wide range of possibilities.
You can explore the chatbot at: https://evaristo.ai