During the recently concluded Meta third-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Meta is working to promote the use of its Llama AI model within the U.S. government.
This announcement has raised many questions: Which specific government departments will use Meta's AI? What purposes will these AIs serve? Could there be military applications? Does Meta receive compensation for these collaborations?
Zuckerberg stated that Meta has already partnered with the U.S. State Department to explore how Llama can address various issues, such as expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, and supporting small business development.
He also mentioned that Meta is in talks with the Department of Education to make the student grant application process more user-friendly with Llama. Additionally, Meta is discussing potential applications of Llama with other departments. It is important to note that Zuckerberg mentioned these collaborations do not involve any payment.
Against the backdrop of intensifying AI competition, Meta's move is particularly noteworthy. Meanwhile, other AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are also collaborating with the U.S. government, with OpenAI's models being used by agencies such as DARPA, USAID, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Google's partnership with the Pentagon is also under close scrutiny.
During the earnings call, Zuckerberg also disclosed more information about the Llama model. He stated that the fourth version of the model is being trained on a cluster larger than any other company has reported, and is expected to introduce "new models," "enhanced reasoning capabilities," and "faster performance." Zuckerberg acknowledged that Meta plans to continue increasing its AI investments in 2025, although this might not be the news investors want to hear, he believes such investments are worthwhile.
Despite external pressures, Meta continues to grow. The company reported a third-quarter revenue of $40.5 billion, a 19% increase year-over-year, with a net profit of $17.3 billion. 3.29 billion people use at least one of Meta's apps daily, a 5% increase from last year.
Key Points:
1. 🤖 Zuckerberg announced that Meta is promoting the use of Llama AI within the U.S. government, with cooperation already underway with the State Department.
2. 💼 These AI technologies will be used to improve areas such as safe water, reliable electricity, and student grant applications, with no financial transactions involved.
3. 📈 Despite challenges, Meta achieved a 19% revenue growth in the third quarter, with a net profit of $17.3 billion.