Overview
- Meta is developing a new model codenamed Avocado that could be sold as a proprietary system as soon as early 2026, according to multiple reports.
- TBD Lab, led by Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, is reportedly training Avocado by distilling outputs from rival models including Google’s Gemma, OpenAI’s gpt-oss, and Alibaba’s Qwen.
- The pivot departs from Meta’s open-source stance, with staff told to pause public talk of Llama after Llama 4’s weak reception and the scrapping of the follow-on Behemoth model, according to reporting.
- Leaders have discussed redirecting billions from Reality Labs to the AI effort, including a requested $2 billion cut to AR/VR budgets, though the company says next year’s budget is not finalized.
- Meta disputes accounts of internal discord as it reshapes its AI organization, a process that included 600 job cuts in October and the departure of longtime research chief Yann LeCun.