Entering the military and national security fields! Meta will open its AI model Llama to U.S. defense agencies and defense contractors

According to Zhitong Finance APP, Meta Platforms (META.US) has received approval from U.S. government agencies and defense contractors to use its artificial intelligence models, opening the door for Meta's technology to play a key role in military and national security work.

The company is providing its large language model named Llama to a dozen U.S. agencies and contractors, including Lockheed Martin (LMT.US), Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH.US), and Palantir (PLTR.US).

Although Meta's AI models are open-source, meaning developers can use them for free, the company's "acceptable use policy" prohibits individuals from using them in any projects related to "military, warfare, nuclear industry or applications, (and) espionage activities."

However, Meta is making an exception for U.S. defense agencies and their contractors, as the company is working to expand its influence in the public sector and increase Llama's foothold in the emerging AI arms race.

Nick Clegg, Meta's President of Global Affairs, wrote in a blog post on Monday: "As an American company, Meta's success is largely due to the entrepreneurial spirit and democratic values upheld by the United States, and Meta hopes to play a role in supporting the security, safety, and economic prosperity of the U.S. and its closest allies."

A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the company will also provide Llama to similar government agencies and contractors in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These countries form an intelligence-sharing organization known as the "Five Eyes Alliance."

Israel is the closest ally of the U.S. in the Middle East but is not currently on the list of partners.

Large language models are the foundation of the current AI boom and can be used for various services, including powering chatbots. Clegg wrote that in the defense and security fields, Llama can assist with tasks such as data analysis and synthesizing documents, or "tracking terrorist financing or strengthening our cyber defenses."

Meta has no say in how U.S. agencies or their partners use Llama technology, but a Meta spokesperson stated via email that "countries leveraging AI for national security have a responsibility to deploy AI in an ethical and responsible manner and in accordance with relevant international law."

Part of Meta's motivation to collaborate with U.S. defense agencies is to further establish Llama as a dominant foundation for global AI products. CEO Mark Zuckerberg open-sourced Llama because he hopes to have more control over the next major technological wave—a strategy that can only work if Meta's technology is ubiquitous.

In last week's earnings call, Zuckerberg stated that he is working to get "the public sector to adopt Llama across the entire U.S. government." The latest updates may help achieve this goal and pave the way for Zuckerberg to further develop relationships with elected officials.

For years, Meta has faced criticism for its role in regulating user speech and its alleged failure to protect young people online. In recent months, former President Trump has repeatedly criticized Zuckerberg, even suggesting that if he returns to the White House, he might try to imprison the Meta founder