AI startup Hugging Face envisions that small—not large—language models will be used for applications including “next stage robotics,” its Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer Thomas Wolf said.

“We want to deploy models in robots that are smarter, so we can start having robots that are not only on assembly lines, but also in the wild,” Wolf said while speaking at Web Summit in Lisbon today.  But that goal, he said, requires low latency. “You cannot wait two seconds so that your robots understand what’s happening, and the only way we can do that is through a small language model,” Wolf added.

Small language models “can do a lot of the tasks we thought only large models could do,” Wolf said, adding that they can also be deployed on-device. “If you think about this kind of game changer, you can have them running on your laptop,” he said. “You can have them running even on your smartphone in the future.”

Ultimately, he envisions small language models running “in almost every tool or appliance that we have, just like today, our fridge is connected to the internet.”

The firm released its SmolLM language model earlier this year. “We are not the only one,” said Wolf, adding that, “Almost every open source company has been releasing smaller and smaller models this year.”

He explained that, “For a lot of very interesting tasks that we need that we could automate with AI, we don’t need to have a model that can solve the Riemann conjecture or general relativity.” Instead, simple tasks such as data wrangling, image processing and speech can be performed using small language models, with corresponding benefits in speed.

The performance of Hugging Face’s LLaMA 1b model to 1 billion parameters this year is “equivalent, if not better than, the performance of a 10 billion parameters model of last year,” he said. “So you have a 10 times smaller model that can reach roughly similar performance.”

“A lot of the knowledge we discovered for our large language model can actually be translated to smaller models,” Wolf said. He explained that the firm trains them on “very specific data sets” that are “slightly simpler, with some form of adaptation that’s tailored for this model.”

Those adaptations include “very tiny, tiny neural nets that you put inside the small model,” he said. “And you have an even smaller model that you add into it and that specializes,” a process he likened to “putting a hat for a specific task that you’re gonna do. I put my cooking hat on, and I’m a cook.”

In the future, Wolf said, the AI space will split across two main trends.

“On the one hand, we’ll have this huge frontier model that will keep getting bigger, because the ultimate goal is to do things that human cannot do, like new scientific discoveries,” using LLMs, he said. The long tail of AI applications will see the technology “embedded a bit everywhere, like we have today with the internet.”

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk cautioned against the potential risks of artificial intelligence (AI) during his appearance at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh. Addressing global investors and officials remotely, Musk expressed concern over AI’s trajectory, stating there is a 10% to 20% chance that AI development could take a dangerous path. 

However, despite the concerns, he maintained an optimistic outlook, suggesting that there remains an 80% to 90% likelihood of AI leading to positive outcomes.

Elon Musk Warns AI Could Turn Rogue, Predicts 10-20% Risk of Dangerous Path

Speaking to attendees at the Saudi forum, Musk underlined the potential for artificial intelligence to develop in unexpected and possibly harmful ways. He estimated a 10% to 20% risk of AI veering into a “dangerous” direction, urging vigilance from global leaders. 

This projection reflects Musk’s ongoing concerns about AI, which he has repeatedly emphasized as a technology requiring careful oversight and ethical considerations. However, he also struck a hopeful tone, remarking on an 80% to 90% probability of AI yielding positive advancements.

Musk further projected that artificial intelligence could surpass human capabilities in the future, potentially within the next one to two years. He noted that AI’s growth trajectory could lead to a level of sophistication that enables it to perform any task a human can accomplish. 

Elon Musk emphasized, 

“I think AI is a significant existential threat and something we should be paying close attention to. It’ll be able to do anything a human can do, possibly within the next year or two.”

Predicting the presence of about 10,000 humanoid robots by 2040, Musk highlighted the acceleration of AI in areas including automation and robotics. He pointed out that as AI’s capabilities evolve, so will its role in both routine and complex tasks. 

This rapid development, he cautioned, calls for a proactive approach to ensure that AI’s influence on society remains beneficial. Moreover, it is important to note that Bitcoin miners are embracing AI which offers a stable foundation for sustainable operations.

Concerns Over “Woke, Nihilistic” AI Models

In addition to concerns about AI going rogue, Musk raised a point about the ideological biases he sees embedded in certain AI models, specifically in the United States. He warned that AI systems developed with a “woke, nihilistic” mindset could prioritize controversial views over objective truths, impacting their alignment with unbiased, factual information. 

Musk observed that models trained in regions like the San Francisco Bay Area reflect local socio-political philosophies, which may shape the AI’s decision-making.

This issue, Musk noted, could complicate the role of AI in society, particularly as it expands into more sensitive areas. Hence, Musk advocated for artificial intelligence to prioritize truth-seeking objectives and avoid adopting socio-political biases.

Tesla CEO Endorses Donald Trump

In addition, Elon Musk openly expressed his preference for Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy, highlighting his concerns over over-regulation. Musk argued that a Donald Trump administration would foster a more progressive environment for technological advancements. More so, he noted that the current Biden administration and regulatory landscape stifles innovation. 

He referred to regulatory delays in the aerospace industry, explaining that securing a permit to launch a rocket takes longer than building the rocket itself.

Musk linked this perspective to his endorsement of Donald Trump, expressing more optimism about AI’s future under the Trump administration. 

In addition, Dogecoin co-founder expressed excitement about the potential media attention Dogecoin could receive if Donald Trump wins the 2024 U.S. election. Markus hinted that mainstream media might be compelled to cover Dogecoin more seriously, especially given Elon Musk’s vocal support.

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Ronny Mugendi

Ronny Mugendi is a seasoned crypto journalist with four years of professional experience, having contributed significantly to various media outlets on cryptocurrency trends and technologies. With over 4000 published articles across various media outlets, he aims to inform, educate and introduce more people to the Blockchain and DeFi world. Outside of his journalism career, Ronny enjoys the thrill of bike riding, exploring new trails and landscapes.

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