Meta Platforms believes an open-source ecosystem would improve safety and security in AI. Bloomberg
Meta Platforms believes an open-source ecosystem would improve safety and security in AI. Bloomberg
Meta Platforms believes an open-source ecosystem would improve safety and security in AI. Bloomberg
Meta Platforms believes an open-source ecosystem would improve safety and security in AI. Bloomberg

Meta Platforms set to launch free code-generating software as it challenges OpenAI


Alvin R Cabral
  • English
  • Arabic

Meta Platforms, the parent company of social media company Facebook, is reportedly set to launch free software that will help programmers and developers to automatically generate code.

The software, Code Llama, is open source and meant to challenge generative artificial intelligence models from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google and others, The Information reported, citing sources.

Code Llama, which is to rival OpenAI's Codex platform, is based on Llama 2, the large language model released by Meta in July – also free of charge – and could be launched as early as next week, it said.

Large language models are trained on amounts of text data for natural language processing tasks. They support the processing and generation of natural language text for diverse jobs.

Code Llama could “siphon customers” away from other paid coding assistants, including Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, which uses Codex, the report said.

It is expected to “make it easier for companies to develop AI assistants that automatically suggest code to developers as they type”, it added.

Meta's latest move comes amid a growing battle within the technology industry where companies are jockeying to get a head start and broaden their scope in generative AI.

Big technology companies have large scientific teams dedicated to AI research and development. However, generative AI's emergence has forced them to diversify their strategies and try to integrate the technology into their services, which would ultimately help their bottom line.

Generative AI, made popular by ChatGPT, can produce various kinds of data, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, 3D objects and videos.

OpenAI's ChatGPT earned a high profile because of its advanced conversational capabilities. Its rise started a race with Google's Bard, drew interest from X chief executive Elon Musk and prompted Apple to work on improving its digital assistant Siri.

Investors have poured more than $4.2 billion into generative AI start-ups in 2021 and 2022 through 215 deals after interest surged in 2019, recent data from CB Insights showed.

California-based Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, is also trying to distinguish itself by offering a more open platform, giving users a glimpse of code it uses to build AI systems.

An open-source ecosystem would help “unlock more progress” and improve safety and security, as well as help curb bias against AI and ensure the accuracy of systems built upon it.

“Open source drives innovation because it enables many more developers to build with new technology,” Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a July Facebook post.

“It also improves safety and security because when software is open, more people can scrutinise it to identify and fix potential issues. I believe it would unlock more progress if the ecosystem [was] more open.”

Last month, Meta, Google, OpenAI and other leading technology companies agreed on a range of protections against AI set by the White House, among which is a commitment that they will ensure their products are safe before they are introduced to the public.

Series information

Pakistan v Dubai

First Test, Dubai International Stadium

Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11

Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20          

 Play starts at 10am each day

 

Teams

 Pakistan

1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza

 Australia

1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

if you go

The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.

The trip 

Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.

Updated: August 18, 2023, 9:38 AM`