software
Mozilla: Don’t just let tech giants control AI
Mitchell Baker, head of the free software project Mozilla. photo
© –/Mozilla Foundation/dpa
Will only companies like Microsoft, Google and Facebook be leading the way in the development of artificial intelligence in the future? Mozilla boss Baker sees opportunities to stop this development.
Artificial intelligence is likely to be the defining technology of the current generation, just as the Internet has fundamentally and forever changed the world. “What we’ve seen over the past year only scratches the surface of what’s possible.” AI capabilities are being used in more and more products and user experiences, Baker said.
For more transparency and accountability
The benefits of the Internet have reached billions of people by not allowing one or two large companies to dominate the market. “Still, looking back, there are many decisions that would have done even more to protect competition and privacy, and with AI we have the opportunity to make better decisions today.” It is now possible to avoid these systems becoming trapped in a few confined environments. “We can develop regulations that provide greater transparency and accountability.”
The development of artificial intelligence is currently being driven primarily by large IT companies in the USA. Microsoft, for example, has entered into a close alliance with the leading AI start-up OpenAI and offers AI functions in its browser Bing, its Office and cloud programs. Google has countered this push with its own AI program Bard. The leading AI companies also include the Facebook group Meta, the software company Adobe and the AI chip expert Nvidia.
At the weekend’s celebrations, Baker pointed to a number of “massive open source activities” that could be used to avoid strengthening the oligopoly. For example, you can’t keep up with Microsoft’s billions in investments. We are now experimenting with small models that can also be run on a laptop or phone. “These are big changes.”