Is Meta Abandoning Open Source AI? What Its New Direction Means
Meta has long championed open source AI, but recent moves suggest a strategic pivot toward closed models. With the launch of its Superintelligence Lab and stalled progress on the much-anticipated Behemoth model, many are now asking: is Meta stepping away from openness to compete more aggressively in the race for artificial general intelligence (AGI)? In this post, we’ll explore the implications of this potential change, what it means for developers and the broader AI community, and why it matters now more than ever. If you're wondering about Meta's AI roadmap and how its evolving approach could affect the industry, you’re in the right place.
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Meta's Superintelligence Lab and the Pause on Behemoth
In early 2025, Meta announced its new Superintelligence Lab—a clear sign of its ambitions to develop advanced AI systems that rival those from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and xAI. This lab was expected to build on the foundation of Behemoth, Meta’s large-scale open source model. However, internal reports now reveal that Behemoth’s release was paused after it failed to deliver the internal performance Meta had hoped for. Testing on the model reportedly stopped once the new lab came online.
Sources familiar with Meta’s internal workings told The New York Times that the company is considering abandoning Behemoth and shifting focus to closed models. Though Meta’s official stance on open source remains “unchanged,” insiders suggest that top executives—including CEO Mark Zuckerberg—are rethinking the company’s AI strategy. This represents more than a technical change; it hints at a philosophical and strategic realignment at a pivotal moment in AI development.
Why Meta Might Be Moving Toward Closed AI Models
Meta has publicly criticized competitors like OpenAI for becoming increasingly closed. Zuckerberg has previously positioned Meta’s open source strategy as a competitive advantage, citing the community-driven innovation it encourages. The Llama family of models was seen as Meta’s answer to the closed nature of GPT models, offering transparency and accessibility to researchers and developers worldwide.
But open source isn’t cheap. Meta is investing billions in AGI research, new data centers, and elite AI talent—sometimes offering nine-figure compensation packages. The need to monetize AI quickly and protect intellectual property could be motivating Meta to pivot toward closed models. These models offer greater control over commercialization, data privacy, and proprietary development—crucial factors in today’s increasingly competitive AI race. If Meta wants to lead in monetized AI tools (like its Meta AI assistant), closed models may simply be the more viable business path.
What a Closed AI Strategy Could Mean for the Industry
If Meta deprioritizes open source AI, the ripple effects could be felt across the entire tech landscape. Developers who rely on open models for research, experimentation, and product development may have fewer options. The open-source community could lose a major contributor, weakening the collective push toward transparent and ethical AI development. It also changes the nature of competition—rather than accelerating progress through shared innovation, companies could become more siloed, prioritizing secrecy over collaboration.
At the same time, this move would underscore a growing realization in the tech world: that open source may not always align with corporate goals in a world where AGI is both immensely powerful and immensely expensive. Zuckerberg himself hinted at this in a past podcast, saying Meta is “pro open source,” but won’t release models it deems “irresponsible” to open. It’s a nuanced stance—but in practice, it may mean fewer open models moving forward.
The Future of AI at Meta: Open, Closed, or Hybrid?
Meta hasn’t officially abandoned open source. A company spokesperson recently reiterated that Meta “plans to continue releasing leading open source models,” and expects to maintain a mix of open and closed approaches. That hybrid model could help Meta balance transparency with competitiveness, but much depends on what gets released—and when.
Still, it’s clear that the era of pure open AI may be fading. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Google started out with more open philosophies before embracing closed strategies. If Meta follows that path, it signals that open source AI was less a long-term commitment and more a means to an end—a way to build momentum and attract top talent while the market was still taking shape.
As we move deeper into 2025, the pressure to deliver results from massive AI investments is intensifying. Whether Meta stays open or goes closed, the AI landscape is evolving fast—and the stakes have never been higher.
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