In the race to stay competitive in the rapidly growing field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Meta is stepping up its game with the launch of a new entity, the Open Innovation AI Research Community. The company seeks to inspire “transparency, innovation and collaboration” in AI research with this latest endeavor.
Open Innovation AI Research Community: An Overview
The Open Innovation AI Research Community will initially prioritize privacy, safety, and security in large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Additionally, the group aims to gather input for enhancing AI models and shaping future research. It’s worth noting that while Meta’s researchers will join the group, Meta emphasizes that it will be “member-led,” with Meta AI serving as a facilitating entity.
A Collaborative Forum for AI Researchers
In a recent blog post, Meta shared its vision for transforming into a community of practice that advocates for large open-source foundation models. Partners can actively exchange knowledge, pose responsible model building questions, and engage with each other to foster collaboration. Meta states, “We aim to fast-track the training of the next generation of AI researchers” through this group.
A Series of Workshops to Foster Innovation
Meta plans to host several workshops that focus on “critical open research questions” and the creation of guidelines for responsible open-source model development. In addition, Meta hints at the possibility of establishing a website, social channels for collaboration, and encouraging academic conference submissions for the community. However, members will be responsible for funding their own research since Meta has not indicated any intention to provide capital or computational resources. This approach is likely to prevent any accusations of exerting undue influence.
Meta’s Commitment to AI Research
“Meta, with its long history of investing in academia and bridging gaps across AI disciplines, aims to break traditional silos,” stated Joelle Pineau, VP of AI research at Meta, emphasizing in an email to TechCrunch. Pineau further highlighted the Open Innovation AI Research Community as evidence of Meta’s commitment to actively explore the responsible development and sharing of large language models in collaboration with academic researchers.
Join the Open Innovation AI Research Community
The Open Innovation AI Research Community has a September 10 deadline for applications. Meta actively encourages applicants from various research disciplines and technical backgrounds. Notably, multiple participants from a single university can apply.
Meta’s initiative holds promise in cultivating a vibrant community that enhances the development of stronger and more inclusive AI models. Nonetheless, critics raise concerns about Meta’s commitment, given the initial limited resources allocated to the initiative.
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