META CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to Instagram on Tuesday to urge the tech industry to focus its generative AI efforts on open models rather than closed ones like those developed by OpenAI, Google and others.
In a blog post on the subject, Zuckerberg said that open-source AI models will prove to be safer and more efficient as they are fine-tuned over time by developers and researchers around the world.
Tech giants are currently battling over whether the future of AI should embrace closed-source or open-source AI models, with closed-source models generally only available to enterprise customers and limited in how much they can operate at a basic level.
Open-source AI models are available to any interested researcher or developer who can work with the model's code. Think of it like the difference between Apple's (AAPL) iOS operating system, which is closed, and Google's (GOOG, GOOGL) Android, which is open.
“Open source will make the benefits and opportunities of AI available to more people around the world, reduce the concentration of power in the hands of a few companies, and ensure that the technology is deployed more evenly and safely across society,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post.
Zuckerberg called for the industry to unite around open source AI and also announced Llama 3.1, the latest version of Meta's open source Llama AI model. The CEO said the model is one of the most advanced in the industry. He also said he expects it to be the most advanced starting next year.
Zuckerberg's Meta competes with other big players in the AI industry, including OpenAI and Google, both of which offer their flagship AI models as closed-source software options but also offer open-source models.
Zuckerberg said that open-sourcing its flagship AI models would allow more researchers and developers to examine them at a foundational level, improving their security and overall functionality by uncovering flaws over time.
But there are concerns that an open-source model would give America's rivals, including China, easy access to powerful AI technology. Zuckerberg argues that America's adversaries could steal the code associated with a closed model and gain access to it that way. A closed model would also limit the use of AI technology to a few powerful companies, he says.
Zuckerberg wrote that big companies should work with governments to use open-source AI models to give them an advantage over other governments.
Part of Zuckerberg's emphasis on open source technology has to do with his dislike of Apple's iOS and the control the iPhone maker has over how Meta's apps are updated. Meta also offers its own open source programming languages that have proven popular on the web, such as React.
At this point, it's hard to tell whether open source or closed source AI models will win. In reality, it's unlikely that either will dominate the market in the long term. Eventually, we'll likely see a split between closed and open source AI models, similar to what we've seen with enterprise and consumer-level software programs for years.
Contact Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on X. Daniel Howley.
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