Open-Source AI Models Debate: Meta’s ‘Open Source’ AI Models: A Closer Look at the Llama Series
In the swiftly developing setting of artificial intelligence, Meta’s recent release of the Llama series of generative AI models has ignited a major argument. The models, Llama 3 8B and Llama 3 70B are skilled in analyzing and writing text and were declared as “open source” by Meta. But the term “open source” may not be as forthright as it seems in this context.
Meta’s Llama 3 models, while advertised as open source, come with certain licensing restrictions. For example, they cannot be used to train other models, and app developers with over 700 million monthly users must request a special license from Meta. This raises questions about the true meaning of “open source” in the context of AI and whether these models are truly available to all.
The argument over the definition of open source is not new. But as companies in the AI space play fast and loose with the term, it’s injecting fuel into long-running philosophical arguments. A study co-authored by researchers at Carnegie Mellon, the AI Now Institute, and the Signal Foundation found that many AI models named as “open source” come with big catches.
The data required to train the models is kept secret. The computing power needed to run them is beyond the reach of many developers. And the labor to fine-tune them is excessively expensive. So if these models aren’t truly open source, what are they exactly? That’s a good question; describing open source concerning AI isn’t an easy task.
This issue extends beyond Meta and its Llama series. It’s an extensive concern in the AI community, distressing developers, researchers, and companies alike. As AI continues to progress and become more incorporated into our daily lives, the need for clear, fair, and accessible open-source policies becomes ever more important. The debate over what establishes “open source” in the territory of AI is far from over, and its resolution will have far-reaching allegations for the future of the field.
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