Is Mark Zuckerberg Flip Flopping On Open Source Ai?

1 month ago

Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg shared a rambling memo outlining his imagination to build AI "superintelligence." In nan memo, Zuckerberg hinted that nan pursuit of much powerful AI mightiness require nan institution to beryllium much selective successful what it unfastened sources.

Citing "safety concerns" he wrote that Meta would request to beryllium "rigorous" astir specified decisions. The statement stood retired to galore arsenic Zuckerberg — who erstwhile said "fuck that" successful reference to closed platforms — has made unfastened root cardinal to Meta's AI strategy.

During Meta's 2nd 4th net call, Zuckerberg further acknowledged location could beryllium a shift, though he downplayed nan value of it. Here's what he said erstwhile asked if his reasoning had changed.

I don't deliberation that our reasoning has peculiarly changed connected this. We've ever unfastened originated immoderate of our models and not unfastened originated everything that we've done. So I would expect that we will proceed to nutrient and stock starring unfastened root models. I besides deliberation that location are a mates of trends that are playing out. One is that we're getting models that are truthful large that they're conscionable not applicable for a batch of different group to use, truthful we benignant of wrestle pinch whether it's productive aliases adjuvant to stock that, aliases if that's really conscionable chiefly helping competitors aliases thing for illustration that. So I deliberation that there's, there's that concern.

And past obviously, arsenic you attack existent superintelligence, I deliberation there's a full different group of information concerns that I deliberation we request to return very seriously, that I wrote astir successful my statement this morning. But I deliberation nan bottommost statement is I would expect that we will proceed unfastened sourcing work. I expect america to proceed to beryllium a leader there, and I besides expect america to proceed to not unfastened root everything that we do, which is simply a continuation of benignant of what we, what we've been, been benignant of moving on.

That's notably different than what he wrote almost precisely a twelvemonth agone successful a different memo titled "Open Source AI is nan Path Forward." In that, moreover longer note, he said that unfastened root is important for some Meta and developers.

"People often inquire if I’m worried astir giving up a method advantage by unfastened sourcing Llama, but I deliberation this misses nan large picture," he wrote. "I expect AI improvement will proceed to beryllium very competitive, which intends that unfastened sourcing immoderate fixed exemplary isn’t giving distant a monolithic advantage complete nan adjacent champion models astatine that constituent successful time."

He besides based on that unfastened root is safer. "There is an ongoing statement astir nan information of unfastened root AI models, and my position is that unfastened root AI will beryllium safer than nan alternatives. As agelong arsenic everyone has entree to akin generations of models – which unfastened root promotes – past governments and institutions pinch much compute resources will beryllium capable to cheque bad actors pinch little compute."

To beryllium clear, Zuckerberg said nan institution would proceed to unfastened root immoderate of its work. But he seems to beryllium laying nan groundwork for a early successful which Meta's "superintelligence" could beryllium a batch little open.