Meta’s Joel Kaplan Discusses the Future of Open-Source AI and U.S.-India Tech Cooperation at Raisina Dialogue:

the United States will play a crucial role in shaping the future of technology. Kaplan's remarks, made during a panel discussion at the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi on March 19, came at a time when global digital infrastructure is facing increasing government control and fragmentation, fueled by geopolitical tensions.

Kaplan warned that the future of technology could either be shaped by shared democratic values such as openness and transparency or could follow an alternative path, influenced by countries like China. He said, “I don't think that's a future that we should accept...There are real opportunities to make progress in ensuring that's not the case.”

India’s Role in the Future of Open-Source AI

Kaplan expressed optimism about India’s embrace of open-source artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. He praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for open-source AI at the Paris AI summit in February 2025, stating, "I'm really optimistic about what I see in India, and it makes me think we can avoid that kind of future."

Meta’s ongoing AI investments reflect the company’s commitment to promoting open-source AI globally. In January 2025, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a substantial $60 billion to $65 billion investment in AI. Kaplan highlighted the upcoming launch of Meta's Llama 4, the next version of its Llama open AI models, which will be freely available to developers worldwide. "A country that is really thriving in taking advantage of that opportunity is India," Kaplan added.

China’s Competitive Edge in AI and the Importance of Global Standards

Kaplan acknowledged the growing competition from Chinese tech companies, specifically referring to DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup claiming to rival the best models from companies like Meta, OpenAI, and Google at lower costs. Kaplan noted that China is making significant strides in AI, emphasizing that it is critical to determine whether a “global open-source standard will emerge” in the field.

He drew parallels with past technological advances such as Linux and Android, which followed open-source models and embodied the “shared democratic values of openness and transparency.”

Meta’s Position Under the Trump Administration

Kaplan, who was promoted to Meta’s global affairs head in January 2025 following Nick Clegg's departure, shared his perspective on the shift in U.S. political dynamics. He noted that the Trump administration is focused on expanding freedom of expression online, contrasting it with the policies of the Biden administration. Kaplan said, “The bigger change we're experiencing as a company and as a sector is that we have an administration in Washington that is interested in promoting American technology and defending American tech companies.”

Meta’s New Approach to Content Moderation: Community Notes

As part of its efforts to address misinformation, Meta recently overhauled its content moderation policies, replacing its third-party fact-checking system with a crowdsourced approach called Community Notes. First introduced by Twitter (now X), Community Notes is now being tested on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the United States, starting March 18.

Kaplan explained that Meta made this shift due to concerns that the previous third-party system was too politically biased. He stated, "The third-party fact-checking system we had put in place... just proved to be too prone to political and partisan bias. It had destroyed at least as much trust and credibility as it had built."

Meta plans to carefully expand the Community Notes system to other countries, considering the varying information and news ecosystems in each region.