Advertisement
Artificial intelligence
TechBig Tech

Meta, IBM and Intel join alliance for open AI development while Google and Microsoft sit out

  • Dozens of start-ups along with Nasa are part of the new AI Alliance announced on Tuesday
  • Amid philosophical debate about the technology’s future, the two dominant players in the US are not among the alliance’s founding members

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Meta Platforms, the parent of Facebook, is part of a new alliance that aims to keep artificial intelligence development open. Photo: Reuters
Agence France-Presse
Meta Platforms, IBM and dozens of start-ups and researchers have launched an alliance defending a more open and collaborative method to develop artificial intelligence (AI), setting up a clash with OpenAI and Google over the technology’s future.
The philosophical debate has become the central battleground for AI’s future, with increasing concern that Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google will alone underpin a technology that could become increasingly crucial to our everyday lives.

“This is a pivotal moment in defining the future of AI,” said IBM CEO Arvind Krishna in the statement announcing the AI Alliance on Tuesday.

ChatGPT creator OpenAI as well as Google defend a closed system for the large language models that have wowed the world by churning out human-quality images and text from simple prompts.

They view themselves as an AI adult in the room, with total control on the technology to ensure that it is deployed ethically and responsibly – and stays out of the hands of bad actors.

On the other side of the debate, open source advocates argue that sharing AI technology can spur innovation as well ensure that not one company or actor gets dangerously ahead.

Their position was given more ammunition earlier this month when a boardroom civil war at OpenAI saw Microsoft’s role strengthened and deepened misgivings about one company playing such an outsize role in providing AI.

Advertisement