China is using Meta's AI for a clear purpose: turning it into a weapon
Artificial intelligence has become a hotly contested global arena, and access to advanced models could change the balance of power between nations. A recent report revealed an unexpected use of AI technology by Meta, the parent company of Facebook. The news has raised concerns in the US national security arena, particularly because of the use of these models in foreign military applications.
As we can read in Futurism magazine, the Meta Flame model, which was developed as open source software, is used by the Chinese military to create intelligence gathering tools. This information, obtained by Reuters, highlights that the military AI known as “ChatBIT” is taking advantage of llama resources to improve its processing and analysis capabilities.
Meta’s decision to open source the Llama model had unexpected consequences. While the goal was to foster innovation and give American developers a leg up in the race for AI supremacy, it also made it easier for foreign countries, including those with competing interests with the United States, to access the technology. In an attempt to defend the company’s position, Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, published an op-ed arguing that opening up these models would not only benefit the United States but also set open source standards globally.
However, the Chinese military’s use of Llama calls into question the effectiveness of Meta’s acceptable use policies, which prohibit its technology from being used for military, espionage, or nuclear applications. Because the model is open source, these restrictions are difficult to enforce, leading to criticism of Meta’s lack of effective oversight.