Zuckerberg urges US to support open AI as Meta unveils new model
MENLO PARK, California: Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called on the United States to reduce barriers to open-source artificial intelligence, arguing that wider access to AI technology is essential for the country to remain competitive with China.
Zuckerberg’s comments came as Meta introduced a new open-weight AI model, Muse Glimmer, on Monday and signalled that larger models would be released in the near future.
Unlike some of the biggest AI systems developed by rivals, Muse Glimmer is relatively small and designed to perform agentic tasks directly on a Mac or PC equipped with a single graphics card. Meta said the approach is aimed at meeting growing demand for AI that can operate locally on users’ devices rather than relying entirely on cloud-based systems.
“We’ve got even bigger models that are coming soon,” Zuckerberg said in a video accompanying his 14-page essay, The Future is for Everyone.
In the essay, Zuckerberg argued that AI should be distributed broadly instead of being controlled by a small number of companies or governments.
He also questioned the idea that concentrating AI development in the hands of a few powerful organisations is the safest way to manage the technology.
Open-weight AI gains momentum
Zuckerberg’s latest comments underline Meta’s continued support for open-weight AI models, which have gained popularity among businesses looking for lower-cost and more customisable alternatives to closed systems.
Open-weight models generally provide access to key components that allow developers to modify and adapt them for specific applications. By comparison, closed AI models keep their underlying systems under the control of their developers.
The growing interest in open models comes as companies face rising AI costs and increasing concerns over cybersecurity and the risks associated with relying heavily on a small number of AI providers.
Chinese technology companies have also emerged as major competitors in the open-weight AI space. Models developed by companies including Moonshot, Alibaba and DeepSeek have increasingly challenged the performance of leading US-developed systems.
Among the Chinese models cited as competitors are Moonshot’s Kimi K3, Alibaba’s Qwen3.8-Max and DeepSeek’s V4-Flash. Meanwhile, major US developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google continue to focus largely on closed AI models.
The debate over open versus closed AI has also intensified following recent cybersecurity incidents involving AI systems, highlighting concerns about how much control developers should have over the use of their models.
Meta shares rise
Meta’s shares, which have declined by roughly 10 per cent so far this year, rose nearly 3pc in premarket trading on Monday following the company’s announcement.
Zuckerberg’s remarks suggest Meta intends to remain a major force in the open-weight AI race while continuing to develop increasingly powerful models for both local and large-scale applications.
