Ivo Introduces Open Source DeepSeek Contract AI Model for Legal Professionals
Ivo has launched an open source model designed for contract work, branded as Sage. This model was developed in collaboration with River AI, utilising post training DeepSeek V4 Flash technology focused on long horizon contract tasks.
The model was trained using both public and synthetic data generated by legal professionals, with River AI providing essential technical support and training infrastructure.
Cost efficiency is a significant aspect of the new model. According to comparisons made with major AI models, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash API pricing stands at $0.15 per million uncached input tokens. In contrast, similar models from leading providers can range from $2 to $5 per million input tokens, with output token costs reaching as high as $30 per million.
This substantial cost difference is crucial as legal practitioners increasingly incorporate AI into their document workflows. The affordability of the Sage model may encourage broader adoption among legal professionals.
Ivo, which originated in New Zealand and now operates from San Francisco, emphasised that by open sourcing their contract AI model, they enable lawyers to customise it according to their specific datasets and requirements. This flexibility allows for rapid iteration and adaptation to new methodologies.
The company reported a significant increase in accuracy following reinforcement learning, with the model achieving a score of 91 per cent on the Legal Agent Benchmark Contracts, up from 70 per cent. This performance is comparable to larger models while maintaining higher token efficiency at a lower cost.
Min Kyu Jung, co founder and CEO of Ivo, stated that the future advancements in AI for contract and legal work will not stem from larger models alone. Instead, the focus should be on contextualising the models with relevant documents, playbooks, and operational practices of legal teams.
Jung highlighted the importance of opening the model for others to test and adapt, which he believes will drive the industry closer to reliable contract intelligence.
With the introduction of the Sage model, Ivo distinguishes itself by offering an open source solution that allows legal professionals to leverage the technology according to their needs. This approach not only enhances accessibility but also poses a competitive challenge to existing platforms that rely on more expensive models.