Why Meta Is Betting Big on Open A.I.

Andrew here. Mark Zuckerberg announced a new open-weight A.I. model that can run locally on a laptop, aiming to prove that open models can be far smaller and cheaper than top frontier systems — potentially rewriting the industry’s economics.

Meta is also creating a $1 billion fund to support police and firefighters in towns hosting its data centers, an effort to counter local pushback in states like New York and Texas. We get into all of it.

Plus, don’t miss our fascinating piece on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s efforts to recruit business leaders to a panel of advisers. More below.

Zuckerberg’s bid to catch up on A.I.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, the discussions in Silicon Valley and in Washington in recent weeks have come down to one thing: open versus closed.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/business/dealbook/meta-open-ai.html