The days when only big companies could afford advanced AI might be coming to an end. Thanks to the rise of open-source AI models. The models were once seen as less powerful compared to expensive counterparts, but these are now catching up fast. Smaller companies are to have the same access to the tools without the hefty price tag.
One example is the new model family of Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence’s (AI2). It is named Molmo and can generate both text and images. It can be useful across many industries. It is a sign that open-source AI is quickly closing the gap.
The real power of open-source AI is in its accessibility. Only the largest companies could afford to develop and use advanced AI tools for years. Introduction of open-source models like Meta’s LLaMA 2 and Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion XL have changed the perception.
However, open-source AI does face some challenges. The models don’t have access to the huge amounts of data that proprietary models do. Molmo was trained on just 600,000 data points.
The open-source movement is important for creating a more balanced tech world. Open-source AI offers transparency and this means businesses can see how the AI works and processes data. KNIME CEO Michael Berthold pointed out that the transparency helps validate the performance of AI tools.
Businesses need to be mindful of the risks. Using open-source AI requires strong risk management strategies. But of course with careful planning.
Open-source AI models could change the entire business landscape. It can push tech giants to stay competitive. The models will keep Big Tech in check and ensure that advanced AI is affordable as well as accessible for all businesses.
