With the release of Muse Glimmer, an open-weight model intended to power AI agents locally on consumer hardware, Meta offered the most comprehensive image to date of what CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s concept of “personal superintelligence” would actually entail.
The 30-billion-parameter model is basically an open version of Muse Spark, Meta’s most potent closed model, which was introduced in April. The permissive Apache 2.0 license allows developers to download and alter Glimmer’s weights as needed.
Glimmer is made to run AI agents locally on a Mac or PC with a single consumer GPU that can carry out multi-step operations, such as calling tools, writing and debugging code, working with files and screenshots, and executing tasks over an extended workflow. According to Meta, it was taught in over 100 languages and handles both text and graphics.
Meta envisions Glimmer being used for tasks that would necessitate extensive access to personal data, such as scheduling, writing messages, and file organization. Meta is setting the stage for a more privacy-conscious personal agent by processing data on a user’s device rather than transferring it to the cloud. Additionally, Glimmer is made to function “anywhere, anytime, with or without an internet connection” and to be “always-on.”
The future that Mark Zuckerberg previously envisioned for Meta is reflected in that vision. He made the case last year that sophisticated AI should empower people rather than remain concentrated in the hands of a few number of businesses, but he also cautioned that Meta would need to be cautious about which of its more potent models it made public owing to safety concerns.
Zuckerberg reaffirmed this vision in a new letter on Monday, stating that the widespread distribution of superintelligence “has the potential to begin a new era of personal empowerment where individuals can use this powerful new capability to reach their full potential, pursue their interests, and improve their lives and the world more than ever before.”
Zuckerberg continued by outlining the ways that Meta’s superintelligence can enhance a person’s life, ranging from offering a competent personal agent that “will work 24/7 on your behalf to improve your relationships, health, career, finances, home management, hobbies, and more” to granting people access to resources required to start a new company or further scientific advancements. “Everyone will have free or affordable access to these tools” is the most significant promise.
However, ownership and access are not the same thing. Zuckerberg’s pledge to make superintelligence broadly available coincides with Meta’s growing differentiation between models that it will make public and those that it will retain control over. While the lesser Glimmer can be downloaded, adjusted, and used on a user’s hardware, Muse Spark, its more potent mode, is still closed-source.
Glimmer therefore provides an early indication of where Meta might draw the line between the more potent intelligence that is still under the company’s control and the AI it wants individuals to own.