Meta and IBM Join Forces in New AI Alliance to Foster Open Innovation

Prominent leaders in artificial intelligence have come together to establish a collaborative initiative focused on fostering the safe and open development of AI systems. This initiative, known as the AI Alliance, aims to create an inclusive community that empowers developers to engage in responsible AI research.

Co-founded by industry giants IBM and Meta, the AI Alliance has garnered support from approximately 40 organizations spanning diverse sectors, including industry, government, and academia. Arvind Krishna, IBM’s chair and CEO, emphasized the significance of collaborative innovation, stating, “The progress we continue to witness in AI is a testament to open innovation and collaboration across communities of creators, scientists, academics, and business leaders.”

Among the supporters of the AI Alliance are leading chip manufacturers such as AMD and Intel, as well as prestigious educational institutions, including Cornell and Yale. The organization also includes influential open-source communities known for developing essential AI tools and benchmarks, such as Hugging Face, LangChain, and MLCommons.

The primary objective of the AI Alliance is to pool collective resources and knowledge to tackle pressing AI safety concerns. A key aspect of the initiative will be the creation of a catalog featuring vetted multimodal and multilingual AI tools that are deemed safe and secure for public use. Additionally, the Alliance plans to establish benchmarks and standards to rigorously assess the safety of AI systems.

To effectively address various issues associated with AI, the Alliance will initiate working groups focused on significant related topics, as well as a governing board and a technical oversight committee. The group is dedicated to partnering with governments, non-profits, and civil society organizations to foster initiatives centered around responsible AI practices.

Nick Clegg, the president of global affairs at Meta, expressed his commitment to open AI development, stating, “We believe it’s better when AI is developed openly – more people can access the benefits, build innovative products, and work on safety.”

Through this concerted effort, the AI Alliance aspires to enhance the safety and effectiveness of AI technologies while ensuring they are accessible and beneficial to all.