Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the company is “working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government,” sparking questions about which agencies will use Meta’s AI models, what their purposes will be, and whether any military applications are planned. There’s also curiosity about whether Meta is being compensated for these partnerships.
When pressed for details, Meta spokesperson Faith Eischen shared via email that they’ve partnered with the US State Department to explore ways Llama could help address challenges like expanding access to safe water, reliable electricity, and supporting small businesses. Additionally, Meta has been in contact with the Department of Education to see how Llama might simplify the financial aid process for students and is exploring other government uses. Eischen clarified that there’s “no payment involved” in these partnerships.
Meta’s timing with this government outreach is notable. For instance, presidential nominee Donald Trump recently threatened to jail Zuckerberg, even as the CEO aims to keep Meta’s products away from political conflicts. Meanwhile, AI competitors are also collaborating with the government; OpenAI and Anthropic plan to share their models with the US AI Safety Institute for screening, and OpenAI’s models are already being used by agencies like DARPA, USAID, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Google also has a history as an AI vendor for the Pentagon.
In Meta’s Q3 earnings call, Zuckerberg hinted at Llama’s future developments, sharing that Llama version four is being trained on a vast computing cluster, promising “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance for next year. While acknowledging Meta’s rising AI investments, which he admits may not be ideal for short-term investors, he expressed enthusiasm for the potential of Meta’s AI projects.
As for Meta’s overall performance, the company continues to grow, reporting $40.5 billion in Q3 revenue—a 19% year-over-year increase—with $17.3 billion in profit. Daily active users of Meta’s apps have also grown by 5%, now totaling 3.29 billion.