In the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence (AI), there's a prevailing notion that the tech industry is hurtling towards the achievement of superhuman intelligence, akin to god-like capabilities. OpenAI and Google's AI leader, Demis Hassabis, share the vision of creating artificial general intelligence (AGI).
Now, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is throwing his hat into the ring. Although he lacks a specific timeline or definition for AGI, he's determined to make it a reality. To streamline the process, he's reorganizing Meta's AI research group, FAIR, alongside the team responsible for developing generative AI products across Meta's apps. The aim is to ensure that Meta's AI breakthroughs directly benefit its vast user base.
In an exclusive interview, Zuckerberg acknowledges the intense competition for AI talent, where companies vie for a limited pool of skilled researchers and engineers, often offering staggering compensation packages exceeding $1 million annually. He emphasizes the unique dynamics of this talent war, fueled by various companies pursuing the same profiles and significant financial investments in diverse projects.
Beyond talent, the scarcity of computing power for training and running large AI models is a critical concern. Zuckerberg reveals Meta's substantial investment in this area, boasting ownership of over 340,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, the industry's preferred chip for generative AI, by the year's end. This capacity, he claims, may surpass that of any other individual company.
The concept of AGI remains elusive, with no clear definition or timeline. Zuckerberg envisions its gradual arrival, emphasizing the broad capabilities of intelligence, including reasoning and intuition. Meta's renewed focus on AGI was influenced by the release of Llama 2, a large language model, prompting a broader approach to developing smarter AI.
Addressing the debate over control of AGI, Zuckerberg emphasizes Meta's open-source vision, contrasting it with the increasingly less transparent approach of OpenAI. He believes openness addresses issues of unequal access to opportunity and value, aligning with Meta's strategy.
As Meta trains Llama 3 with code-generating capabilities, Zuckerberg emphasizes the ambition to build state-of-the-art models in the industry. However, he remains non-committal on whether AGI achieved at Meta will be open-sourced, citing the importance of safety and responsibility.
Despite Meta's recent emphasis on the metaverse, Zuckerberg rejects the notion that the renewed focus on AGI is a pivot. He asserts continued commitment to Reality Labs and the metaverse, envisioning generative AI playing a crucial role in Meta's hardware endeavors. Zuckerberg anticipates a future where AI-generated virtual worlds coexist with real people, creating a new platform for users to develop and distribute their AI characters across Meta's social apps.
In summary, Meta, as the world's largest social media company and now an aspirant in the AGI race, seeks to build the future of connection, where humans interact not only with each other but also with AI entities—a future that Zuckerberg envisions as inevitable and exciting, regardless of our readiness for it.
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