Date:
November 05, 2024
Meta has significantly changed its policy prohibitions, granting permits to the US military and National Security agencies to access Llama AI models.
Meta has kept its AI open-source since the initial release of the Llama models, but the acceptable use policy restricted military and government agencies from accessing them. However, in a surprising update to its long-standing policy, Meta has granted permits to the U.S. military and national security agencies to access Llama AI models for military purposes.
This move can provide an unmatched advantage to the U.S. military in upgrading predictive warfare and nuclear capabilities. Meta is signing accessibility deals with federal agencies and has been working with defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen, as well as defense-focused tech companies such as Palantir and Anduril.
The company published an open notice on Monday regarding the changes in its acceptable usage policies to support the United States in strengthening its military technology arsenal. The company is backing the democratic values of the United States to boost its pace in the race for AI supremacy.
“Meta wants to play its part to support the safety, security, and economic prosperity of America — and of its closest allies too. Widespread adoption of American open-source A.I. models serves both economic and security interests,” Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, said on Monday in a blog post.
Meta is also planning to expand its access to members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, including Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The U.S. is the last member with an individual deal already signed with the company.
This exception has raised major concerns in the AI community regarding fair usage of the Llama models, which are already facing scrutiny for being open-source. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced publicly that keeping it open-source is the only way to grow AI products and technologies. Meta’s open-source AI software has been downloaded more than 350 million times, surpassing Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
The newly provided access to the military will surely change the existing controversial landscape between the US Department of Justice and Meta. Less restrictions on upgrading AI capabilities will also help Meta strengthen its position as one of the Top AI development companies of 2024.
