Meta and IBM are teaming up with more than 40 companies and organizations to create an industry organization dedicated to open source artificial intelligence AI work aimed at sharing technology and reducing risk.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the consortium called the “AI Alliance” will focus on responsible development of AI technology, including safety and security tools. The alliance will also seek to increase the number of open source AI models — rather than proprietary systems favored by some companies, develop new hardware, and collaborate with academic researchers.
Proponents of open source AI technology believe this approach is a more effective way to cultivate highly complex systems. Over the past few months Meta has been releasing an open source version of its large-scale language model, which is the foundation for AI chatbots.
“We believe it would be better to develop artificial intelligence in an open manner, where more people can benefit, develop innovative products, and commit to safety.” Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, said in a statement.
The coalition will eventually establish a board of directors and technical oversight board. Participants include Oracle, AMD, Intel, and Stability AI, as well as academic and research organizations such as the University of Notre Dame and the Mass Open Cloud Alliance.
The story of ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, who recently fired and then re-hired its famous CEO, has fueled a global debate about how companies should be transparent in developing powerful AI technology. OpenAI did not include participants in this consortium.