Meta's AI Strategy
Meta (formerly Facebook) has become a major AI player, particularly through its open source strategy. While Google and OpenAI keep their best models closed, Meta has released Llama for anyone to use.
Open Source Leader
Meta's Llama models are freely available, letting anyone run powerful AI locally. This has democratized AI access.
Key Products
Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI)
- Llama 2 — First widely-released open model competing with GPT
- Llama 3 — Matches GPT-4 on many benchmarks
- Free to use — Available for commercial and research use
Meta AI Assistant
AI assistant integrated into WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram. Powered by Llama.
AI Features in Apps
- Content recommendations — AI powers the Facebook and Instagram feeds
- Ad targeting — AI for advertiser tools
- Content moderation — Detecting harmful content
- AI stickers and editing — Creative tools in apps
Why Open Source?
Meta's strategy differs from competitors:
- Commoditize AI — If AI is free, the advantage shifts to who has the best apps
- Community development — Others improve and extend the models
- Talent attraction — Researchers want to publish openly
- Speed — Open development moves faster
FAIR (Facebook AI Research)
Meta's AI research lab, one of the best in the world:
- Led by Yann LeCun, a "godfather of AI"
- Published fundamental research on deep learning
- Created PyTorch (major AI programming framework)
Meta vs. OpenAI
- Model access — Llama is open; GPT is closed
- Running locally — Llama can run on personal computers
- Consumer product — ChatGPT leads in consumer awareness
- Customization — Llama can be modified and fine-tuned
Summary
- • Meta leads open source AI with the Llama model family
- • Llama can be run locally by anyone for free
- • AI powers Facebook/Instagram feeds and content moderation
- • FAIR is one of the world's top AI research labs