Meta has opened its AI technologies to US government agencies and defense contractors, as well as allies.
The large language models Llama are now available to over ten American agencies, including Lockheed Martin Corp., Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp., and Palantir Technologies Inc.
The company’s policy prohibits the use of AI in any projects related to the military, warfare, nuclear industry, or espionage. Exceptions have been made for US defense agencies and their contractors.
“As an American company that owes much of its success to the entrepreneurial spirit and democratic values of the US, Meta wants to contribute to the safety, security, and economic prosperity of America and its closest allies,” the company stated in its blog.
In addition to the US, Llama is available to government agencies and contractors in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They are “obliged to implement artificial intelligence ethically, responsibly, and in accordance with international law,” Meta asserts.
The blog notes the efforts of China and other US competitors to develop their own neural networks to enhance security.
Previously, institutions associated with the People’s Liberation Army of China used Meta’s publicly available neural network to develop a tool potentially suitable for military purposes.
China developed an AI commander for military simulations.