Mark Zuckerberg introduced Meta’s new AI program

In a comprehensive and unusual composition, numbering no less than 6,500 words and partly also published as an opinion column in the “Wall Street Journal”, Zuckerberg outlined the strategic vision of the technology giant. According to him, this is the ideal way to spread the wealth and opportunities inherent in artificial intelligence to users around the world, as well as to the residents of the communities that host the vast server farms that operate the technology.

The open model: an antidote to technological tyranny

The focus of Zuckerberg’s mass is the defense of the development of open models. Zuckerberg claimed that Meta’s approach, which focuses on distributing the technology as widely as possible and transferring the power of making valuable decisions to the end users, is the safest way to prevent horror scenarios. In his opinion, centralized and closed development could lead to devastating results such as totalitarianism, mass unemployment or the rise of unrestrained computer intelligence that threatens the future of humanity.

“Most other labs focus on building artificial intelligence for companies, governments or other institutions,” Zuckerberg wrote in a clear jab at competitors, “so if these labs lead, then the balance of power will tilt in favor of large institutions at the expense of private individuals. Meta’s mission since its inception has focused on putting power in the hands of people. If our beliefs and principles lead, then the balance of power will tilt in favor of individuals and for a better future for all.”

As part of the implementation of Zuckerberg’s plan to close the gap with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, Meta is launching a new model under the name Muse Glimmer, and in the coming weeks it is expected to release an open version of its most advanced model, Muse Spark 1.2.

A billion dollars and flexible regulation

Zuckerberg doesn’t just stop at the philosophy of open source. To secure the infrastructure required for the revolution, Meta is planning capital expenditures of up to $145 billion this year, mainly for the construction of data centers, with an expected jump of up to $600 billion by 2028. In the face of growing public opposition in the US to the establishment of huge server farms, an opposition that reached its peak when a few weeks ago the state of New York completely banned the establishment of these facilities in its territory for a period of up to a year, Zuckerberg is adopting a financial solution conciliator

According to the “Wall Street Journal” report, Meta is establishing a $1 billion fund to invest in the local communities where its data centers are located. In his essay, Zuckerberg demonstrated the economic potential when he referred to a local purchase tax allocation that led to teachers in Richland County in Louisiana receiving grants of $50,000, as a result of the economic activity around the “Hyperion” server farm.

In addition, Zuckerberg’s text included a series of recommendations for decision makers. He proposed an outline in which the federal government would collaborate with technology companies to test the level of safety of new models. He even called for developers to be allowed to “distill” models from each other, noting that the Meta board will receive more extensive authority in determining the safety criteria. Furthermore, he reiterated that the apparent lag behind the US compared to China in the development of super-intelligent computing systems stems, among other things, from regulatory difficulties in the establishment of national infrastructures.

Investors are starting to lose patience

Despite the utopian vision and the huge investments, the business reality is much more complex. Wall Street investors are starting to lose patience with Meta’s expensive artificial intelligence ambitions, and are demanding to see a faster and more significant return on investment.

Although Zuckerberg recently floated an idea for establishing a cloud computing business in an attempt to generate direct profits from the new data center infrastructures, the lack of concrete details regarding the potential venture during the investor call in July led to a drop in the company’s stock. Now, it remains to be seen whether a 6,500-word essay will be enough to calm the markets and convince the world that meta is indeed the human bulwark against a dark technological age.