The AI landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, and open source models like Llama 3 are at the forefront of this revolution. Llama 3, unveiled by Meta, is one of the most powerful open source models yet, competing directly with closed source AIaaS like GPT-4, Gemini, and Claude.
What makes Llama 3 stand out is its ability to run on low hardware specs, making it accessible to a wider range of users. In fact, the 8B version of Llama 3 can now run on a Raspberry PI 5, a relatively low-end device. This is a significant development, as it demonstrates that AI can be executed on smaller devices and lower specs, reducing the need for expensive hardware.
In an interview, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, revealed that bigger versions of Llama 3 with more context length will be released later, all under the same open source license. This move is expected to further democratize access to AI technology, allowing more companies and individuals to leverage its power.
The impact of open source models like Llama and Mixtral is already being felt in the stock market. NVIDIA, a leading manufacturer of high-end graphics processing units (GPUs), has seen its stock price drop by 10% from its highs, as investors begin to question the need for expensive hardware in the face of open source alternatives.
The beauty of open source projects like Llama 3 lies in their flexibility and customizability. Companies can use these models with their own custom data, creating tailored solutions that meet their specific needs. Meta has kindly shared its findings on retrieval-augmented generation, providing a valuable resource for developers and researchers.
While AIaaS (Artificial Intelligence as a Service) is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, the race to NVIDIA’s overrated and overpriced hardware is likely to slow down. As open source models continue to improve and become more accessible with tools like Ollama, the need for expensive hardware will diminish, and the AI landscape will become more democratized.
In conclusion, the rise of open source models like Llama 3 is revolutionizing the AI landscape, making it more accessible and affordable for companies and individuals alike. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see significant changes in the way AI is developed, deployed, and consumed.
