Why Zuckerberg's multibillion-dollar gamble doesn't just matter to Meta

Spending on artificial intelligence could hit a staggering 1tn, according to analysts concerned about whether there will be a return on such a spree. Mark Zuckerberg's answer this week to such jitters was to release his latest AI system for free. Meta's Llama 3.1 405B is its most powerful yet, it says, and one of the most capable in the world. While the tech company didn't disclose how much it cost to train, Zuckerberg, its co-founder and chief executive, has previously disclosed a 10.5bn ( 8.9bn) investment in just the chips required to power its AI data centres – with the rest of the electronics, the electricity itself, and the physical building an additional cost on top of that. Yet despite the exorbitant outlay, the parent of Facebook and Instagram will charge you nothing for it.