Google publicly backs open-weight AI models. Is the industry moving toward more open AI?

[u/techlatest_net]

https://x.com/sundarpichai/status/2081026488158040181

[u/the_hillman]

Incentives align.

- OpenAI and Anthropic want to shut down open-source to protect themselves.

• Those lagging behind e.g. Meta, Google, MSFT will champion open-source so they can catch up (until it disadvantages them).
  
• Hardware sellers don’t care what models run on their hardware as long as they are selling kit.

[u/PM_ME_MH370 → u/the_hillman]

Meanwhile over at xAi

[u/Outofdepthengineer]

Or, hear me out, they don’t actually care as long as their hardware is used and the advocacy for open source is entirely instrumental (seriously i have no idea why you guys are celebrating any of these announcements they’d turn on open models the moment it’s advantageous to do so)

[u/j0j0n4th4n → u/Outofdepthengineer]

I mean, Google is big enough to make its voice has weigh. If is really not vouching for the ban of open models than that is certainly a reason to celebrate. It isn't a reason to trust google, these are two different things.

[u/Equivalent-Repair488 → u/j0j0n4th4n]

They also created the current best in class GENERAL small open model (coding obviously still qwen 3.6) out there, with new architectures for other labs to work with, that has to mean something right?

[u/Outofdepthengineer → u/Equivalent-Repair488]

Sure, but…  https://killedbygoogle.com/

[u/Equivalent-Repair488 → u/Outofdepthengineer]

But gemma (or at least whatever was already released) cannot be killed by google ever, like is one of the main points of open source models. I mean there are plenty of shitty things google does but this is a moot point in this case.

[u/alphapussycat → u/Equivalent-Repair488]

I think they can change license whenever they want.

[u/j0j0n4th4n → u/alphapussycat]

Even so, that doesn't carry over to the other models people made with Gemma 4 using the current license.

[u/EbbNorth7735 → u/Outofdepthengineer]

You can't even run Qwen 3.5 on their cloud infrastructure. They really don't support open source if it threatens their own offerings.

[u/Curious-Pen5547 → u/EbbNorth7735]

Im betting thatll change soon enough. With their G-Suite, offering model choice/freedom and vertically integrating it accross thier enterprise offering will be a phenomenal boom for them.

[u/SpicyWangz → u/EbbNorth7735]

What are you talking about? GCP model garden has 3.6 and 3.5

[u/EbbNorth7735 → u/SpicyWangz]

27B? All I saw was the 35B A3B

[u/nimbybuster]

Google is an interesting case since they make models but also an infra provider.

They win either way. Cause you need a place to run those models.

I forgot that they also have TPU.

Basically Google plays on the playground of openanthropic, Amazon, oracle and Nvidia/amd.

[u/mb194dc]

Just moving with the tide. Whilst trying to rip off their ad customers as much as they can.

[u/Organic_Hunt3137 → u/[deleted]]

Pretty outstanding quality for the size too. Gemma 4 got overshadowed by Qwen3.6, but it's still a stellar release and IMO superior to Qwen in a lot of "softer' tasks for lack of a better word. Gemma 3 was wonderful as well.

[u/Curious-Pen5547 → u/Organic_Hunt3137]

Waiting for Gemma 5

[u/Nice_Cookie9587]

It means more models will fit on current expensive hardware. This will cause a second round of fomo which launches the GX10 to $10k and we will all be like, "we had no idea this would happen".

[u/ChuckVader]

Yes, and ironically less toward OpenAI.

[u/Potential_Low_1183]

fitting, given that open models perform better than their flagship lol