Observed Signal · Jul 24, 2023 · Policy Update · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
OSI: Meta's Llama 2 Is Not Really Open Source
Meta released its large language model Llama 2 and described it as open source, but the Open Source Initiative (OSI) publicly rejected that label. OSI argued that Meta confuses open source with conditionally available resources and asked Meta to correct its statement. While companies and NGOs can download Llama 2 for free and build commercial products, the license includes restrictions: online services with more than 700 million monthly active users, such as Google, Amazon, TikTok and Microsoft, are not eligible for free use. Users are also prohibited from using Llama 2 outputs to train another language model, and certain high-risk domains such as regulated substances or critical infrastructure are excluded. The article contrasts Llama 2 with proprietary models like Google's PaLM 2 and OpenAI's GPT-4, and notes that OpenAI itself has moved from a non-commercial research organization to a proprietary, investor-backed company.
Llama 2 is one of the most significant openly available large language models; OSI's rejection of Meta's 'open source' claim shapes licensing expectations and commercial adoption across the AI ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Open Source Initiative (OSI) publicly stated that Meta's Llama 2 is not open source and asked Meta to correct its claim.
- Llama 2 is free for commercial use only for online services with fewer than 700 million monthly active users.
- The license excludes large platforms such as Google, Amazon, TikTok, and Microsoft from free commercial use.
- Llama 2's license prohibits using its output to train another large language model.
- Meta restricts Llama 2 usage in areas including regulated substances and critical infrastructure.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“Meta released the AI language model Llama 2 and calls it open source; OSI disputes this classification....”
“OpenAI was cited as an example of an organization that misused the term 'Open'; GPT-4 is proprietary....”
“Google's PaLM 2 is proprietary, and Google is excluded from free Llama 2 use due to the 700 million monthly active user threshold....”
“Amazon is listed among large internet services excluded from free use of Llama 2....”
“Microsoft is listed among large internet services excluded from free use of Llama 2....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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