Illustration DALL-E3 + Photoshop AI.
Microsoft's massive investments in the field of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly through its partnership with OpenAI (ChatGPT) or its participation in the young French start-up Mistral, raise questions about the future of open source in the AI field. Elon Musk himself intervened! Infomaniak is observing in Switzerland.
The billionaire, an iconic and controversial technology figure, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its founders because he feared they served the interests of Microsoft shareholders rather than real progress for humanity. This situation highlights a growing tension between open source principles, which advocate freedom and accessibility of code, and the business strategies of tech giants.
Redirected to open source
Open source, which has sometimes spurred innovation and collaboration in software development, appears to have been hijacked. Microsoft's multibillion-dollar investments in OpenAI illustrate a trend toward privatizing advances in AI, potentially moving these technologies away from the principles of sharing and accessibility that characterize open source.
The original goal of OpenAI, as the name suggests, was to develop artificial intelligence that was open and useful to everyone. However, Microsoft's recent investments appear to be aligning the company with fundamental commercial goals that are far removed from this altruistic vision.
Little outcry
In view of these challenges, according to various observers, a return to open source principles in the development of AI appears not only desirable but necessary. This would ensure that advances in AI benefit all of humanity and not just a handful of economic actors whose morals remain unclear.
The alliance between Mistral and Microsoft recently marked a turning point and ended the illusion of European technological independence. This collaboration has raised concerns about Europe's ability to maintain technological sovereignty amid the dominance of American AI giants.
Measures in Europe and Switzerland?
Faced with these challenges, the continent has begun to respond. The European Commission has opened an investigation into Microsoft's investment in Mistral, raising concerns about the impact of such partnerships on innovation and competition. The move is part of a broader EU effort to regulate the AI sector.
In Switzerland, Infomaniak, which offers services derived from Mistral, is reassuring. “We will monitor this carefully and it in no way prevents the current model from continuing to operate as it is fully powered by our infrastructure. Until a few months ago, Mixtral did not exist, it is an area that is changing a lot,” Thomas Jacobsen, communications manager, told us.
Microsoft's investments in OpenAI and other companies raise fundamental questions about the future of open source and the direction of AI development. And even more fundamentally, when we see Microsoft integrating AI into its products, we tell ourselves that the outcome is pretty bleak right now.
XS with Perplexity.ai
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