Meta unveiled new AI models: "We closed the gap"
Meta has unveiled new AI models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, which it claims are on par with the advanced models of OpenAI and Anthropic. The move is the result of a strategy initiated by CEO Zuckerberg about a year and a half ago, which included acquiring 49% of ScaleAI for $14 billion and extensive talent recruitment. The new models are closed and will be sold to businesses, unlike the company's previous open-source models.
Meta unveiled new AI models, Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, on Monday, which it says are on par with the most advanced models from OpenAI and Anthropic. CEO Mark Zuckerberg told the Financial Times: "We closed the gap with frontier models, and we are committed to continuing to make significant investments in the field." The move is the result of a strategy Zuckerberg initiated about a year and a half ago, which began with the acquisition of 49% of ScaleAI for $14 billion and the recruitment of its founder, Alexandr Wang, to lead the AI division. Simultaneously, the company launched an extensive recruitment drive for top talent with salary and benefits packages that reports say reached hundreds of millions of dollars. The new models scored as well as the most advanced models from Anthropic and OpenAI in performance benchmarks including reasoning, writing, and coding, and even surpass them on certain tasks. Unlike Meta's previous open-source models, the new models are closed, and their most advanced versions will be sold directly to businesses, putting Meta in direct competition with Anthropic and OpenAI. Wang told Bloomberg: "These are real frontier models. To anyone who is skeptical, I say 'try the models and judge for yourself.'" Zuckerberg also addressed concerns about an AI catastrophe, saying he leans closer to believing that AI can be engineered with normal safety mechanisms.