ONE PIECE OF NEWS

📂Research shows Big Tech tries to dominate the market through “open source” AI models

Following the release of AI models for generating text, translating languages, and creating audio, Meta today open-sourced Code Llama, its code-generating AI system.

At first, it might sound generous, but a new paper points out that Big Tech companies use open-source software to gain control over the industry.

Currently, the two dominant AI development frameworks are PyTorch and TensorFlow, developed and maintained by Meta and Google, respectively. These are used by most models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as well as in academic AI research.

While these offer useful tools to develop and deploy AI, they also benefit the companies developing them. Most notably by standardizing AI development so developers create AI systems that, Lego-like, snap into place with their own company systems.

Why is that good for them? Most open-source innovation is happening on top of their architecture. This allows them to shape the work practices of researchers and to easily integrate and commercialize academic and other AI models, scooping up the best applications and cementing their AI dominance. On top of that, Google’s TensorFlow operates well with Google’s TPU hardware, positioning Google’s lucrative cloud compute business as the engine of AI development.

As a leaked Google email stated: "The value of owning the ecosystem" to the company "cannot be overstated." Such ecosystem capture directly contributed to Google’s dominance across the domains of search, mobile, and advertising.

ONE IDEA

You can now generate pictures with meaningful words in Midjourney.

⌚ If you have one more minute:

• AI Startup Hugging Face Valued at $4.5 Billion After Raising Funding From Google, Nvidia

• If AI becomes conscious: here’s how researchers will know

• OpenAI partners with Scale AI to allow companies to fine-tune GPT-3.5

AI Art of the day 🎨

Now Midjourney inpainting allows you to generate pics with meaningful text. Workflow by Midjourney user @chaseleantj here.

🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄🌊🏄

That’s it folks!

If you liked it please share it with a friend and make this writer happy that ChatGPT didn’t replace him yet!

Or, did it?