Major technological stride, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared on Thursday, January 18, 2024, that the company has officially commenced the training of Llama 3, the next iteration of its generative AI (Gen AI) model. This move signifies Meta's entrance into the race for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a realm of AI that aims for human-level intelligence and stands as one of the most potent, albeit hypothetical, technological advancements. Zuckerberg's announcement places Meta alongside other prominent players such as OpenAI and Google DeepMind, all venturing into the uncharted territory of AGI. The concept of AGI, while still speculative, has sparked concerns about its potential to surpass human capabilities.

Mark Zuckerberg, through an Instagram post, shared Meta's long-term vision of building general intelligence, responsibly open-sourcing it, and making it widely accessible for the benefit of all. This initiative involves integrating Meta's major AI research efforts, FAIR (Facebook AI Research) and Gen AI, to foster a more direct impact on its billions of global users through the transformative power of AI. As Llama 3 takes shape, Meta envisions expanding its capabilities, including coding functionalities similar to Google's Gemini AI model. Zuckerberg emphasizes the responsible and safe training of these future models, underscoring Meta's commitment to open sourcing its AI developments for the greater good of the technology industry.

Llama 3, poised as a Gen AI text model, aims to rival the benchmark set by OpenAI's GPT-4. Meta's prior model, Llama 2, is already openly available, reflecting the company's commitment to democratizing access to AI advancements and promoting transparency within the industry. The journey towards AGI began with the introduction of the base Llama model (Llama 1) in February 2023, less than a year ago. This open-source model facilitated researchers in studying AI without substantial infrastructure. Subsequent advancements, notably Llama 2, showcased improved capabilities, pre-trained on two trillion tokens and incorporating over one million human annotations.

Mark Zuckerberg's strategic decisions are driven by Meta's aspiration to develop AGI systems, infusing its products with human-like capabilities. AGI, with its potential for human-level intelligence, promises to overcome current barriers in AI by enhancing generalization of knowledge, fostering deeper understanding, adaptability to diverse situations, and critical thinking. While the prospect of AGI is thrilling, Meta recognizes the ethical considerations tied to creating technology at human intelligence levels. Meta's commitment to open source development and adherence to AI ethics signifies a proactive approach in shaping a positive coexistence between humans and advanced AI technologies.