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Exciting news for the AI community! Together, an AI startup, recently raised $20 million in seed funding to build an open-source AI and cloud platform. This comes after their successful replication of Meta’s LLaMA dataset, with the goal of creating open-source LLMs.
Open-source AI has been making waves lately, with the release of new LLMs that are comparable in performance to proprietary models from Google and OpenAI. This pushback against closed, proprietary LLMs is a win for the open-source AI community, as it prevents “industrial capture” by a few deep-pocketed Big Tech companies.
The celebration continues with open-source hub Hugging Face’s “Woodstock of AI” gathering in San Francisco, which drew over 5,000 attendees. And this Friday, Stability AI and Lightning AI will host a “Unite to Keep AI Open Source” event in New York City.
Big Tech considers its moat, or lack thereof
While open-source AI parties on, Big Tech is weighing its options. A leaked Google memo from one of its engineers revealed that neither Google nor OpenAI is positioned to “win this arms race.” The engineer attributed this to open-source AI, which is “lapping” Big Tech in terms of progress.
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Over the past decade, the artificial intelligence (AI) sector has rapidly grown into one of the most powerful industries in the world, earning tons of numerous accolades and enamored adulation from tech influencers and startups alike. However, while more traditional, “closed-source” AI methods have become the norm, the open-source regulatory framework of many large corporations has been somewhat overlooked. That is until recently, as several major tech giants have come out and publicly endorsed open-source AI as the way forward. This exciting development has been widely celebrated by open-source AI enthusiasts around the world.
Open-source AI, which is characterized by collaboration and allowing access to tools and solutions, allows for more effective innovation and cost reduction. It also makes it easier for companies to develop AI-driven initiatives quickly, often without dealing with the lengthy approval processes associated with closed-source AI. Open-source AI has also become increasingly attractive to large tech companies, who want to take advantage of its benefits to preserve their competitive edge.
In a publicly released statement, Google provided its endorsement of open-source AI technology, calling it “the best way to ensure innovation in the industry and provide new opportunities to businesses”. Google is not alone in this sentiment, as Facebook and Microsoft have also taken to publicly expressing their support for an open-source AI regulatory framework. Furthermore, both tech giant’s products have seen a surge in usability due to the implementation of an open-source AI platform. Microsoft’s portfolio of services have seen the biggest surge due to open-source AI, as the company reported a 20% increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2021.
The endorsement of open-source AI by these tech giants has not gone unnoticed by the open-source AI community, who are thrilled that their technology is being taken seriously by those who had previously overlooked its potential. Open-source AI has already helped multiple small businesses get to the next level by providing access to tools and solutions that are usually unaffordable when using closed-source AI technology. Open-source AI is also seen as a way to combat monopolization, as by offering access to tools and solutions it allows all participants to benefit and maintain a highly competitive market.
The endorsement of open-source AI by these tech giants points to the understanding that collaboration and innovation must go hand-in-hand in order to create a thriving and sustainable environment in the AI industry. With the enthusiasm of open-source supporters celebrating this development, it looks like open-source technology is here to stay and will be a primary factor in the success of the industry.
