Meta Disrupts AI Market with Free-to-Use Advanced AI Tool, Llama 2.
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has unveiled Llama 2, a commercial version of its open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model.
This move provides startups and businesses with a powerful alternative to expensive proprietary models offered by OpenAI and Google.
Llama 2 will be distributed through Microsoft’s Azure cloud service and run on the Windows operating system, making Microsoft Meta’s preferred partner for the release.
Previously, Meta limited access to the Llama model to selected academics for research purposes. However, the company has now made it available for direct download and through other providers such as Amazon Web Services and Hugging Face. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of open source in driving innovation, stating that it enables more developers to build with new technology.
The release of Llama 2 poses a significant challenge to the early market dominance of generative AI software players like OpenAI and Google. The first version of Llama was already competitive with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot.
Llama 2 has undergone extensive training with 40% more data than its predecessor and over a million human annotations to improve the quality of its outputs.
By providing Llama 2 free of charge, Meta aims to disrupt the market and reduce the dependence on closed-source models. This move aligns with Meta’s strategy of fostering an open-source ecosystem, similar to its widely-adopted AI framework PyTorch.
While it may pose risks related to the misuse of the technology, Meta believes that public releases encourage crowd-based problem identification and the development of resilient systems.
The release of Llama 2 follows similar plans by Microsoft’s competitors, Google and Amazon, to offer a range of AI models to business customers. Microsoft’s support for this offering aligns with its goal of providing developers with a choice of models, thereby solidifying its position as the go-to cloud platform for AI work.
As the AI market continues to evolve, Meta’s strategic decision to provide Llama 2 as a free and widely accessible tool demonstrates its commitment to driving innovation and benefiting from industry-wide improvements. By standardizing the essential tools used in AI development, Meta aims to reduce infrastructure costs and maximize the creation of new consumer-facing tools, ultimately attracting more users to its ad-supported services.
Meta has implemented an “acceptable use” policy for commercial Llama, prohibiting certain use cases such as violence, terrorism, child exploitation, and other criminal activities. The company believes that public releases, combined with community input, enhance safety and build resilience in AI systems.
Meta’s introduction of Llama 2 marks a significant milestone in the AI industry, challenging established players and promoting open-source innovation. With this move, Meta aims to empower businesses and startups while reshaping the AI development and adoption landscape.
Note: This report is based on an article by Reuters, authored by Katie Paul, with contributions from Jeffrey Dastin, Krystal Hu, and Yuvraj Malik.
Source | Reuters