Meta Platforms has built an AI, called LLaMA 2, set to rival the likes of ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company is partnering with Microsoft to introduce the next generation of its AI large language model and making the technology free for research and commercial use.
Much like tech peers Google and Microsoft, the social media company has long had a big research team of computer scientists devoted to AI.
Meta has also tried to distinguish itself by being more open than some of its Big Tech rivals about offering a peek at the data and code it uses to build AI systems. “Open source drives innovation because it enables many more developers to build with new technology,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “It also improves safety and security because when software is open, more people can scrutinize it to identify and fix potential issues. I believe it would unlock more progress if the ecosystem were more open, which is why we’re open sourcing Llama 2.”
Zuckerberg said people can download its new AI models directly or through a partnership that makes them available on Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure “along with Microsoft’s safety and content tools.”
Microsoft and Meta also revealed the new AI partnership at Microsoft’s annual event for business customers on Tuesday. Microsoft said in a separate statement that the two companies “share a commitment to democratizing AI and its benefits and we are excited that Meta is taking an open approach.” Meta is already a customer of Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.