In particular, Le Chat quickly reached the top spot for free downloads on the iOS App Store in the company’s home country, France. “Go and download Le Chat, which ...

Yet at the jamboree President Emmanuel Macron plugged it using a soft “sh”, rendering Le Chat distinctly feline. Arthur Mensch, Mistral’s 32-year-old boss, says his baby is indeed four-legged.

French startup Mistral AI’s Le Chat surpasses 1M downloads in 13 days, but it still trails ChatGPT’s record. With lightning-fast responses, can Le Chat rival AI giants?