In a world with over 7,000 languages and diverse cultural backgrounds, connecting people across linguistic divides is essential. At Google DeepMind, we believe AI can play a transformative role in bridging these gaps. Through our commitment to building inclusive, adaptable AI, we are thrilled to introduce Gemma 2—a powerful, lightweight multilingual Artificial Intelligence I model—and announce the “Unlocking Global Communication with Gemma” challenge, with $150,000 in prizes, to inspire developers worldwide to make this vision a reality.

 Introducing Gemma 2: A Model for Multilingual Excellence

Gemma, our family of open, community-driven AI models, has fostered an ecosystem where developers build models that reflect the nuances of different languages and cultures. Now, with the release of *Gemma 2*, we’re expanding these capabilities by launching a 2-billion-parameter variant fine-tuned specifically for Japanese.

Gemma 2’s performance is impressive: it handles Japanese language tasks at a level comparable to GPT-3.5 while maintaining efficiency for mobile devices. This means that not only can it deliver excellent Japanese language capabilities, but it also upholds robust English proficiency—an example of a balanced multilingual AI that serves diverse communities worldwide. Starting today, developers can download Gemma 2’s model weights from platforms like *Kaggle* and *Hugging Face*, opening doors for communities to tailor Gemma to their languages and cultural needs.

Building on the Power of Community: The Gemmaverse

Since the original Gemma model launched, an active and growing community—the “Gemmaverse”—has emerged. This collective has produced thousands of fine-tuned variants and tools, adapting the model to languages and unique linguistic contexts. One inspiring example comes from the *Navarasa project*, where Indian developers fine-tuned Gemma for 12 Indic languages. Similarly, we’ve seen the community working to preserve endangered dialects, such as a developer in Korea creating a translator for the Jeju Island dialect.

This community-driven adaptation is key to truly inclusive AI. By empowering local experts, we’re seeing AI language tools evolve to meet regionally specific needs, showcasing the potential for Gemma to act as a cultural bridge worldwide.

The $150K Challenge: Unlocking Global Communication with Gemma

To accelerate these community efforts, we’re excited to launch the *Unlocking Global Communication with Gemma competition* on Kaggle, offering $150,000 in prizes. This challenge invites developers from all over the globe to fine-tune Gemma 2 for their unique languages and document their findings in reproducible notebooks. Participants are encouraged to explore areas such as language fluency, historical texts, literary traditions, and any other application that enriches the understanding of their native languages.

Whether you’re interested in preserving cultural dialects, bringing literary classics into the digital age, or bridging communication gaps, the Unlocking Global Communication with Gemma challenge is an incredible opportunity to push language AI forward and contribute to a more connected world.

Join the Movement: Contribute to a Global Vision for AI

AI has the power to break down language barriers, and with Gemma 2, the potential to create truly global AI is in our hands. Join us on *Kaggle*, become part of the Gemmaverse, and help bring the richness of human language to the forefront of technology. Together, we can unlock the future of language AI, creating a world where communication is accessible to all, regardless of language.

Explore the challenge, download the model weights, and let’s build a future where understanding knows no boundaries.