How Meta's Llama Changed the AI Power Balance Forever

On a Friday afternoon in February 2023, something leaked online that would reshape the entire AI industry. Meta's LLaMA model: a powerful language model that was supposed to be restricted to approved researchers: appeared on 4chan. Within hours, it had spread everywhere. Within weeks, thousands of developers were building on it. Meta had accidentally started a revolution.

Before LLaMA, the AI landscape was simple: OpenAI and Google had the best models, they kept them locked behind APIs, and everyone else was a customer. The argument for keeping models closed was straightforward: powerful AI could be dangerous, and restricting access kept things safe.

The argument against was equally straightforward: monopolies are bad, and giving two or three companies exclusive control over the most transformative technology since the internet seemed like a terrible idea.

After LLaMA leaked, Meta made a strategic decision that surprised everyone: instead of cracking down, they leaned in. Llama 2 was released as an explicitly open model. Llama 3 followed with performance that rivaled GPT-4 on many benchmarks.

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