Meta announces global AI impact grants focused on Llama 3.1 applications

Meta has unveiled a new series of AI research grants aimed at innovative uses of its Llama 3.1 model to enhance AI's potential in various areas.

As per Meta: “We’re thrilled to open applications for the Llama 3.1 Impact Grants. We seek proposals that leverage the new features and capabilities of our latest LLM model, Llama 3.1, for projects with significant economic and social impact. Llama 3.1 supports languages previously unsupported (including French, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai) and is the only open-source model that competes with top AI models in general knowledge, steerability, reasoning, math, tool use, and multilingual translation. There’s tremendous potential, and we’re eager to see the innovative ideas people propose.”

The initiative will distribute $2 million in grants to the best projects, with a maximum of $500,000 per project, based on the judges' evaluations.

Additionally, Meta will host a series of global events to offer technical guidance and mentorship to potential applicants.

“These events will each address a theme that local stakeholders, such as civil society groups, businesses, NGOs, and policymakers, consider most urgent, including agriculture, scaled business solutions, health tech, cultural preservation, and more.”

Meta notes that attendees at these events will be eligible for a specialized award of up to $100,000, along with consideration for the main Llama Impact Grants.

This initiative furthers Meta’s goal to democratize AI development and support the most effective applications of the technology.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently highlighted the advantages of open-sourcing its AI technology, saying, “I believe open source is essential for a positive AI future. AI has greater potential than any other modern technology to boost human productivity, creativity, and quality of life, and to drive economic growth while fostering progress in medical and scientific research. Open source will ensure broader access to AI’s benefits and opportunities, prevent power concentration among a few companies, and enable more equitable and safe deployment of the technology.”

Meta’s Impact Grants are in line with this philosophy, offering more opportunities for developers and Meta to advance their projects.