The new Llama 3 model can converse in eight languages, write higher-quality computer code and solve more complex math problems than previous versions.
Meta Platforms released the biggest version of its mostly free Llama 3 artificial intelligence models, boasting multilingual skills and general performance metrics that nip at the heels of paid models from rivals like OpenAI.
The new Llama 3 model can converse in eight languages, write higher-quality computer code and solve more complex math problems than previous versions, the Facebook parent company said in blog posts and a research paper announcing the release.
With 405 billion parameters, or variables that the algorithm takes into account to generate responses to user queries, it dwarfs the previous version released last year though is still smaller than leading models offered by competitors.
OpenAI’s GPT-4 model, by contrast, is reported to have one trillion parameters and Amazon is preparing a model with 2 trillion parameters.
Promoting Llama 3 across multiple channels, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said he expected future Llama models would overtake proprietary competitors by next year. The Meta AI chatbot powered by those models was on track to become the most popular AI assistant by the end of this year, with hundreds of millions of people using it already, he said.
The release comes as tech companies are racing to show that their growing portfolios of resource-hungry large language models can deliver significant enough gains in known problem areas like advanced reasoning to justify the gargantuan sums that have been invested in them.
Meta’s own top AI scientist has said he believes such models will hit up against limits on reasoning and that other types of AI systems will be needed to produce breakthroughs.
In addition to its flagship 405 billion parameter model, Meta is also releasing updated versions of its lighter-weight 8 billion and 70 billion parameter Llama 3 models initially introduced in the spring, the company said.
All three new models are multilingual and can handle larger user requests via an expanded “context window,” which Meta’s Head of Generative AI, Ahmad Al-Dahle, said would improve the experience of generating computer code in particular.
Meta releases its Llama models largely free-of-charge for use by developers, a strategy Zuckerberg says will pay off in the form of innovative products, less dependence on would-be competitors and greater engagement on the company’s core social networks. Some investors have raised their eyebrows at the costs entailed, however.
