Mark Zuckerberg blasts centralisation of AI power

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The comments by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shed light on a debate on how AI software should be developed which has divided tech leaders.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has weighed in on a divisive debate over AI software development, saying tight controls would only stifle innovation.

PHOTO: JASON HENRY/NYTIMES

Mike Isaac, Eli Tan

  • Mark Zuckerberg criticised AI startups for centralising AI power, warning it could limit broad access and stifle innovation in technology development.
  • Leading AI firms debate whether AI development should be open or tightly controlled, with companies like Meta and Google advocating openness against stricter controls by Anthropic and OpenAI.
  • Top AI researchers from major tech firms signed a letter urging international cooperation to slow AI progress for safety, amid growing concerns about competition and regulation globally.

AI generated

SAN FRANCISCO – Mark Zuckerberg came out swinging against Anthropic and OpenAI, two of the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence start-ups, saying the way they developed AI software could lead to a centralisation of power that would narrow people’s access to the transformational technology.

In an interview on July 28, the 42-year-old chief executive of Meta did not call out Anthropic and OpenAI by name. But he said that if leading research labs wanted to develop AI technology in a tightly controlled manner – as Anthropic and OpenAI have done – it would be akin to “abandoning our values” in American tech development and stifle innovation.

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