Meta Platforms made its open-source Llama large language models (LLMs) available to US government agencies, including entities working on defence and national security applications, as well as private sector companies.

The Facebook parent has provisions in place that prohibit the use of its free Llama models for military, warfare, nuclear industries or applications, and espionage purposes.

However, Nick Clegg, president of global affairs for Meta Platforms, stated in a blog post the social media giant supports responsible use by government agencies.

“These kinds of responsible and ethical uses of open-source AI models like Llama will not only support the prosperity and security of the United States, they will also help establish US open-source standards in the global race for AI leadership.”

A representative for Meta Platforms told Mobile World Live it is also making its LLMs available to additional government agencies and contractors in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand “to bolster shared security”. It will consider requests from the US government to let other countries utilise its models.

The company is making all its Llama LLMs available to the government entities and private sector companies, according to its representative.

Private sector
Clegg explained Meta Platforms is working with companies such as Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Booz Allen, Databricks, Deloitte, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Oracle, Palantir, and Snowflake.

He noted Oracle is employing Llama to synthesise aircraft maintenance documents to help technicians diagnose problems quickly and with more accuracy.

Cloud giants Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are using Llama to support governments by hosting the LLMs on their secure clouds for sensitive data.

Additionally, IBM’s watsonx platform is providing the models to national security agencies for use across their self-managed data centres and clouds. 

Clegg stated national security is “inextricably linked with economic output, innovation and job growth, widespread adoption of American open-source AI models serves both economic and security interests”.

He noted other nations, including China and additional competitors, “are racing to develop their own open-source models, investing heavily to leap ahead of the US”.

“We believe it is in both America and the wider democratic world’s interest for American open-source models to excel and succeed over models from China and elsewhere,” Clegg added.