Meta and Microsoft Announce Huge AI Collaboration

Meta and Microsoft have officially joined forces to introduce Llama 2, an open-source large language model developed by Meta. This integration will bring Llama 2 to Microsoft’s Windows operating system and Azure cloud computing platform, catering specifically to business and research needs within Meta’s AI technology stack. The collaboration was announced on July 18, and Llama 2 is now available for free use in academic and commercial settings.

Llama 2 has undergone significant improvements compared to its predecessor, Llama 1. It has been trained on a larger dataset, incorporating 40% more publicly available online sources. This enhancement allows Llama 2 to process twice as much context, thereby improving its performance in coding, proficiency, reasoning, and knowledge tests. It has also been optimized to run seamlessly on Windows.

Although Llama 2 falls slightly behind closed-source competitors like OpenAI’s GPT-4 in terms of efficiency, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his excitement about the language model. In an Instagram post, he highlighted Llama 2 as a cutting-edge tool that provides researchers and businesses with a solid foundation for their work.

Meta was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming demand for Llama 1 when it was released on a limited basis in February. Despite the limited access, the company received over 100,000 requests. Unfortunately, Llama 1 was later leaked online by a user on the imageboard website 4chan. In contrast, ChatGPT, another popular language model, achieved remarkable success, attracting an estimated 100 million or more users within its first three months.

With this collaboration, Microsoft shows support for two major players in the AI domain. In 2023, the company invested a total of $13 million in OpenAI, further solidifying its commitment to advancing AI technologies.

Meta’s decision to open-source Llama received criticism from two US senators in June. They expressed concerns about potential vulnerabilities in the initial version of Llama, fearing it could be exploited for criminal purposes. However, the collaboration between Meta and Microsoft aims to enhance the capabilities of large language models while addressing any associated risks, ensuring the responsible deployment of these powerful tools for researchers and businesses.

By integrating Llama 2 into Microsoft’s platforms, users can leverage its advanced language processing capabilities, empowering them to delve deeper into their work and drive innovation in various domains.