SB Intuitions opens Sarashina service in free beta with 6 AI models

SB Intuitions is the SoftBank subsidiary behind Sarashina, and this beta marks the first time it has put all six of the family's models — mini, nano, embedding, rerank, guard and translate — in front of the general public at once. Where the chat feature covers everyday tasks such as web search through conversation, writing assistance and Japanese-English translation, the API exists so developers can embed the models into their own systems and check whether they suit the intended use. The line-up is split by role: mini handles text generation and dialogue, nano targets fast, high-volume processing of simple tasks, embedding supports document search such as RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), rerank sharpens search results, guard judges the safety of input text, and translate handles two-way Japanese-English translation.

Unlike a fully open release, access comes with conditions. The service is free, but a rate limit restricts how many requests can be made per unit of time, and no end date for the offering has been decided. SB Intuitions says user data may be used to improve the quality of its models and services.

How the beta is received appears likely to shape what comes next: the company says it will collect and analyze usage patterns and feedback from users, and apply what it learns to future product development and feature expansion.