Report: Meta developing open-source versions of upcoming AI models – News

Meta Platforms Inc. plans to release open-source versions of its next-generation artificial intelligence models, Axios reported today.

The company debuted its most capable neural network last April. Llama 4 Maverick, as the algorithm is called, is an open-source large language model with 400 billion parameters. In December, sources told Bloomberg that Meta was planning to shift to a closed-source distribution approach with future LLMs.

The company is reportedly developing two proprietary frontier models. There’s an LLM codenamed Avocado and a multimedia file generator known internally as Mango. Both algorithms are expected to launch this year. The open-source models detailed in today’s Axios report are presumably derived from Avocado and Mango.

It’s unclear whether the open-source versions will launch at the same time as the proprietary editions. Axios reported that the former algorithms will launch “eventually.” They’re part of an effort by Meta to distribute its models “widely and as broadly as possible around the world.”

The open-source versions reportedly won’t include all the features that are available in the closed-source versions. It’s unclear which capabilities Meta will leave out.

Llama 4 Maverick, the company’s best open-source LLM, is based on a mixture-of-experts architecture. It’s not a monolithic algorithm but rather 128 different neural networks that are each optimized for a different set of tasks. Meta’s upcoming open-source models may lack some of the neural networks that power the proprietary editions.

Another possibility is that the company will scale down the open-source versions’ parameter counts or skip certain training steps. Frontier LLMs go through several rounds of training, including so-called post-training that occurs once their core capabilities are already in place. It’s not uncommon for open-source models developers to release scaled-down algorithm versions that didn’t go through post-training.

AI safety is reportedly one of the reasons Meta’s open-source models won’t include all the features of the proprietary editions. That hints Avocado will be adept at generating cybersecurity-related code. Claude 4.6 Opus, Anthropic PBC’s most capable LLM, has so far discovered hundreds of critical vulnerabilities in open-source projects.

Anthropic and OpenAI Group PBC are both preparing to release new flagship LLMs. According to Axios, Meta doesn’t expect its upcoming models to best the competition “across the board.” However, the Facebook parent’s algorithms reportedly have multiple “areas of strength” with appeal to consumers.

One way Meta could seek to win over consumers is by making its models more hardware-efficient than the competition. Many frontier LLMs can’t run on personal computers because of processor constraints. It’s also possible that Meta will optimize the algorithms for use cases such as personal health and homework assistance that aren’t prioritized by enterprise-focused models.

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