Source: AFP
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, has become an unexpected evangelist for open source technology when it comes to AI development, pitting him against OpenAI and Google.
The 40-year-old tech mogul laid out his vision in an open letter titled “Open Source AI is the Way Forward” this week. Here’s what you need to know about the open vs. closed AI model debate.
What is “open source”?
The history of computer technology has long pitted open source enthusiasts against companies clinging to their intellectual property.
“Open source” refers to software development where the program’s code is freely available to the public, allowing developers to edit and develop it as they wish.
Many of the Internet’s foundational technologies, such as the Linux operating system and the Apache web server, are products of open source development.
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However, open source is not without its challenges. Maintaining large projects, ensuring consistent quality and managing a wide range of partners can be complex.
Finally, almost by definition, keeping open source projects financially viable is a challenge.
Why is Meta AI “open source”?
Zuckerberg is probably the last person you’d expect to embrace open source.
The company maintains complete control over the Instagram and Facebook platforms, leaving little to no room for outside developers or researchers to get involved.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which an outside vendor was revealed in 2018 to have been using the platform to harvest user information for malicious practices, made the company more protective.
Meta’s sudden embrace of the open source ethos is due to its bitterness towards Apple, whose iPhone rules keep strict control over what Meta and all third-party apps can do on their devices.
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“One of my experiences was building our services with limitations of what Apple would allow us to build on their platforms,” Zuckerberg said.
“Between the way they tax developers, the arbitrary rules they enforce, and all the product innovation that hinders shipping, it’s clear that Meta and many other companies would be unleashed if…competitors weren’t able to curtail this that we could create,” he wrote.
This concern has now spread to genetic AI, but this time it’s Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google that are the culprits charging developers and keeping a tight lid on their AI technology.
Skeptics argue that Meta is embracing open source because it came late to the artificial intelligence party and seeks to open up the field with free access to a powerful model.
What is Llama?
Meta’s open-source LLaMA 3.1 (for Large Language Model Meta AI) is the company’s latest version of its genetic AI technology that can spit out human-standard content in seconds.
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In terms of performance, it can be compared to OpenAI’s GPT-4 or Google’s Gemini, and like these models it is “trained” before deployment by ingesting data from the Internet.
But unlike those models, developers can freely access the technology and make adjustments as they see fit for their specific use cases.
Meta says the LLaMA 3.1 is as good as the best models out there, but unlike its main competitors, it only deals with text, with the company saying it will later match the others with images, audio and video.
Security threat
In the race for genetic artificial intelligence, defenders of the closed model argue that the Meta way is dangerous because it allows bad actors to weaponize powerful technology.
In Washington, lobbyists dispute the distinction, with opponents of open source insisting that models like the Llama can be weaponized by countries like China.
Meta argues that transparency ensures a more level playing field and that a world of closed models will ensure that only a few large companies and a powerful nation like China will be in control.
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Startups, universities and small businesses will “miss out on opportunities,” Zuckerberg said.
Source: AFP
