‘Billions of people’: Zuck’s huge AI move amid race with OpenAI, Anthropic and ChinaMark Zuckerberg will make superpowered AI models free for “billions of people” as he announced the launch of Meta’s new product.Staff writers and AFP3 min readAugust 11, 2026 - 11:59AMMark Zuckerberg outlined plans to distribute freely available AI models to “billions of people” as he announced the launch of Meta’s new open-source model.In an essay released overnight, the Meta boss argued that less restrictive access to AI capabilities will help America compete with Chinese companies, and criticised rivals that sell access to their models.Speaking about the the future of artificial intelligence, Mr Zuckerberg called for the US to compete against China, prevent “government tyranny” over AI and ensure that “superintelligence” technology will become available to everyone. Superintelligence is a theoretical point when AI’s capabilities exceeds human intelligence.The solution, he argues, includes “open” weight models, which allow users to download the rules that govern how an AI system behaves. Unlike truly open-source software, however, open weight models do not make all of its underlying code publicly viewable. Competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic largely focus on closed AI models, which are considered black boxes that users cannot inspect themselves. Others you may likenewsnewsMeta has poured billions of dollars into its AI division, known as Meta Superintelligence Labs, as it attempts to keep up with OpenAI and Anthropic — the makers of ChatGPT and Claude, respectively. Meta also announced on Monday a new open weight model called Glimmer, which it developed in part from Muse Spark, a closed-source model it announced in April and updated last week. Glimmer uses less computing power than other models but is still muscular enough to operate AI agents or software that can perform tasks without human intervention, Meta said in a blog post. FILE - Mark Zuckerberg talks about the Orion AR glasses during the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez, File)Developers in China, including Alibaba, DeepSeek and Moonshot, have created advanced and more affordable open models in recent months, spurring American companies to lower prices and build their own cheaper models. Mr Zuckerberg also took aim at other labs that are “focused on building AI for companies, governments or other institutions,” arguing that this would tip the balance of power in favour of institutions instead of individuals. Anthropic and OpenAI both have lucrative government contracts. “Rather than centralising superintelligence, we should distribute it widely and give every person the ability to direct it,” Mr Zuckerberg wrote. Rules and lawsuitsMeta has 3.6 billion users across its apps which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.But concern over app usage by American youths has soared. Meta was recently ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in damages in a New Mexico case. And on Wednesday, jury selection begins in a California court for a trial brought by four US states seeking a staggering $1.4 trillion in damages from Meta. The company faces potentially thousands of costly lawsuits nationwide about alleged harms to children who use Facebook and Instagram. Mr Zuckerberg’s essay, and Meta’s new models, also come amid US debate about how to regulate AI developers, in addition to growing local pushback against building data centres that power the technology. Meta has poured billions of dollars into its AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs. Picture: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesFacing pressure over the novelty of their capabilities, President Donald Trump in June ordered the setting up of a voluntary review process of advanced AI models before their release. But his administration missed its own August 1 deadline to announce the details. “Given how dynamic and competitive the AI landscape is, I think it will be more productive to have a close proactive collaboration between frontier labs and the government rather than a rigid process and review timeline” in all cases, Mr Zuckerberg wrote. A flexible US regulatory environment for open models would give Meta an advantage over OpenAI and Anthropic, and help it compete with Chinese developers. “Our goal should be for American open source models to be the best globally. This requires removing the hurdles that make it harder for American open source models to compete,” according to Mr Zuckerberg. More Coverage‘Disastrous’: RBA urged to lift interest rateCameron Micallef‘Property recession’: Shock call ahead of RBAAlex Blair, Ben Graham and Heath Parkes-HuptonEven a one-month delay could add “significant risk to American leadership” while letting foreign models race ahead, he added.With public opposition to data centre development growing, Meta will launch a $1 billion fund to directly support communities around its facilities, a spokesperson told AFP. Meta expects to spend up to $145 billion this year, nearly doubling 2025 spending, as it invests heavily in AI.Read related topics:ChinaJoin the conversationAdd your comment to this storyTo join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? 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