AURORA-M, an innovative open-source multilingual large language model ( ) with a remarkable 15 billion parameters, has been developed to understand and generate content in English, Finnish, Hindi, Japanese, Vietnamese, and code. This pioneering model originates from the StarCoderPlus framework and has been trained on an expansive dataset consisting of 435 billion tokens, achieving a cumulative training token count of 2 trillion. AURORA-M sets a new standard by incorporating human-reviewed safety guidelines, aligning with the US Biden-Harris Executive Order on AI’s principles for secure and trustworthy AI development. In the realm of AI development, particularly with , there has been a historical focus on English language datasets, which has led to challenges in generating and understanding content in non-English or low-resource languages. Furthermore, the concept of continual pretraining has been at the forefront of enhancing model capabilities, albeit with the risk of catastrophic forgetting. Additionally, recent AI developments must adhere to evolving regulations on AI safety and security, a factor that’s critical yet often neglected in open-source projects. AURORA-M addresses language diversity by providing robust support for multiple languages and code, which is instrumental in bridging the linguistic gap that has long existed in AI applications. Its training on an extensive multilingual dataset ensures competitive performance across different languages, thereby offering an inclusive tool for global AI development. AURORA-M’s training approach mitigates the issue of catastrophic forgetting, a common pitfall in continual learning, by maintaining proficiency in tasks across all its supported languages and code. This enduring capability is critical for the model to be effectively utilized in dynamic environments where it may encounter new data distributions over time. In a move to prioritize safety and adherence to legal standards, the developers of AURORA-M fine-tuned the model on a curated dataset of instruction-response pairs. This was designed to align with the US Biden-Harris Executive Order on AI, covering crucial aspects like harm prevention and privacy protection. By embedding these safety features, AURORA-M stands as a testament to responsible AI practice in the open-source community. – AURORA-M’s multilingual capabilities can aid developers in creating more inclusive AI applications. – Its commitment to safety makes it a responsible choice for AI deployment in sensitive areas. – Users should remain vigilant when utilizing AURORA-M, considering its powerful generative abilities. In conclusion, AURORA-M represents a significant advancement in the AI domain, particularly in terms of linguistic inclusivity and safety. Its extensive training and unique fine-tuning process have yielded a model that not only understands and generates content in six different languages and coding syntax but also one that adheres to the highest standards of AI safety and trustworthiness. This model serves as a valuable asset for researchers and developers seeking to leverage AI in a multitude of linguistic contexts while complying with stringent safety regulations. As the model becomes integrated into various systems and applications, it is imperative that stakeholders continue to evaluate its outputs to ensure they align with ethical norms and legal requirements.