What to remember?
- This new version of Llama is free for commercial use and research.
- The longstanding partnership between Microsoft and Meta has been expanded, with Microsoft becoming the preferred partner for Llama 2.
- This enhanced collaboration aims to support an open approach to providing access to fundamental artificial intelligence (AI) technologies worldwide.
1. The announcement
Meta and Microsoft made a significant announcement on July 18, 2023, introducing the new generation of Llama, a large open-source language model: Llama 2. This collaboration expanded their longstanding partnership, with Microsoft becoming the preferred partner for this new generation of open-source language model.
Recent breakthroughs in AI, particularly in generative AI, have sparked strong public interest and demonstrated the potential of these technologies to assist individuals, creators, and businesses in achieving incredible feats and opening new economic and social opportunities.
What is Llama 2 ?
Llama 2 represents the next step in the development of large generative AI language models. It is a powerful open-source language model, now available for free for both research and commercial use.
This accessibility is accompanied by the support of a broad range of companies, academic figures, and policymakers, all sharing the belief that innovation is the path forward for today’s AI technologies.
Llama 2 will be available as open-source, meaning the model’s weights and pre-trained model source code, as well as fine-tuned versions, will be accessible to everyone. Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hugging Face, and other providers will also include Llama 2 in their AI model catalogs, providing developers with the opportunity to build with this technology across different platforms.
3. The benefits
- Transparency and Accountability
Meta’s “open-source” approach promotes transparency and accessibility. The company is committed to building responsibly and provides resources to assist those using Llama 2 to do the same. Security testing has been conducted on fine-tuned models, and a transparency schema details the model’s development and evaluation methods, identifying gaps and mitigation measures taken. Meta has also implemented an acceptable use policy to ensure fair and responsible use of the models.
- Collaboration
In addition to these measures, the company has initiated new efforts to encourage collaboration and participation. Llama 2 is part of this tradition, fostering engagement from the community of researchers and developers in responsibly developing large generative models.
- Innovation
By making Llama 2 available to everyone, from startups to enterprises, developers can access powerful tools, fostering experimentation and exciting innovation. With the launch of the Llama Impact Challenge, Meta aims to encourage a wide range of public, non-profit, and for-profit entities to use Llama 2 to address environmental, educational, and other significant challenges, thus leveraging technology for the betterment of society.
Copyright : Meta
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, Meta and Microsoft are opening an exciting new chapter in generative AI by making Llama 2 available as open source. This open approach fosters collaboration, innovation, and responsible development, with the vision of creating useful and safer generative AI that benefits a broader audience worldwide. Their commitment to innovation paves the way for new opportunities for businesses, researchers, and society as a whole. It will be thrilling to witness how the world utilizes Llama 2 to create new generative experiences powered by AI and address significant challenges through this cutting-edge technology.
