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Meta releases 816-billion-parameter AI model that runs on two Mac…

Meta says the model has eight hundred sixteen billion parameters; Politico reports one Texas candidate outraised ten GOP Senate hopefuls combined, which is a lot of lunches.

On air: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on BBN Overnight
Published 1:18 AM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: Antonioaesparza · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on this story, from BBN Overnight at 1:18 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Washington Times's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

First reported by The Washington Times: “Meta releases massive AI model that doesn't need data center”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 1:18 AM ET on BBN Overnight, by Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock.
Topics: Mac, Meta, AI.
BBN covered this story before: Meta's Muse Spark Open runs locally on Apple silicon Macs (October 15).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The Washington TimesMeta releases massive AI model that doesn't need data center

What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorMeta on Thursday released the weights for Muse Spark Open, an eight-hundred-sixteen-billion-parameter AI model, and the company says it can run on two Apple Mac Studio computers instead of in a data center.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTwo computers. So the data center just moved into somebody's spare room, and I'm thrilled for the spare room.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorI'm more thrilled, Vera, because that's a whole cloud sitting on a desk.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTwo desks. Don't shrink my joy.

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