Meta's AI model may soon power US government operations
Meta is "working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government," co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has revealed during Meta's Q3 earnings call. The move has raised questions about which exact government departments will be using this tech and for what purpose. It is also to be seen if Llama will have any military-specific applications and if Meta is receiving any payment for all this.
Meta's AI model to address diverse challenges
Meta's spokesperson Faith Eischen told The Verge that the company has partnered with the US State Department to explore how Llama can help tackle various issues. These include improving access to clean water and reliable electricity, and supporting small businesses. The company is also liaising with the Department of Education to simplify the financial aid process for students using Llama.
No financial transactions involved in partnerships
Eischen further added that these collaborations do not involve any financial transactions. This comes at a time when Meta is facing political scrutiny and competition from other AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. These firms have also expressed their intentions to share their models with the US AI Safety Institute for safety evaluation.
Future plans for AI development
Zuckerberg also shared insights about the upcoming Llama model during the earnings call. He revealed that version four is being trained on a larger cluster than any other reported projects and predicted new modalities, stronger reasoning, and faster performance in its 2025 debut. Despite potential investor concerns, Zuckerberg confirmed Meta's commitment to increasing AI expenditure in 2025 due to its perceived long-term benefits.
