Meta Platforms Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) Chief AI Scientist, Yann LeCun, took to X, formerly Twitter, expressing his disagreement with OpenAI's early investor, Vinod Khosla.
What Happened: LeCun thinks that Khosla is a proponent of closed-source AI due to his financial motivations.
"Clearly @vkhosla can profit financially from a closed approach to AI."
Khosla Ventures, founded by Vinod Khosla, is the first venture capital investor of OpenAI. In 2019, Khosla invested $50 million in OpenAI, making his largest bet by far in his 40-year history.
But LeCun thinks it's not just the financial factor that is behind Khosla's support for closed source AI. He thinks the China threat is playing a role, too.
"But I don't think that his main reason to oppose open source frontier models. He is genuinely worried about China getting its hands on it," LeCun said.
However, he thinks Khosla's China concerns are "misguided."
He argues that Chinese AI scientists and engineers are talented and capable of innovating independently. LeCun also highlights that the Chinese government is more worried about losing control of AI technology than their counterparts in liberal democracies.
LeCun, who has been a vocal supporter of open-source AI, thinks these platforms are essential for a diverse and democratic future, where everyone has access to a wide variety of AI assistants.
"That future can *only* come about through open source AI platforms enabling a large diversity of fine-tuned systems."
Clearly @vkhosla can profit financially from a closed approach to AI.
But I don't think that his main reason to oppose open source frontier models.
He is genuinely worried about China getting its hands on it.
That worry is misguided.
First, Chinese AI scientists and engineers...— Yann LeCun (@ylecun) May 12, 2024
Why It Matters: LeCun's comments come amid a global debate about the regulation and access to AI technology. Khosla, an early investor in Microsoft Corp.-backed OpenAI, has been vocal about the need to protect AI technology for national security reasons.
He has clashed with other tech leaders, such as Marc Andreessen, over the open-sourcing of critical technologies like AI.
Meanwhile, LeCun has been a strong advocate for open-source AI models, believing that they will one day overtake closed-source rivals.
His recent comments suggest a fundamental disagreement about the future of AI technology and its implications for global power dynamics.
Meanwhile, Destiny Tech100 Inc. fund (NYSE:DXYZ), which focuses on investing in private high-growth tech companies such as SpaceX and OpenAI, has fallen by 60.82% in the past month, according to Benzinga Pro.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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