The Llama AI model, developed by tech giant Meta, has captured the attention and admiration of not just Indian developers, but also India’s richest billionaire, Mukesh Ambani. In a fireside chat with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Ambani praised Llama and its potential impact in India. He believes that Llama can serve as a foundation for building cutting-edge technologies in the country, and that its creator, Mark, will be remembered for this contribution for years to come.
Ambani’s vision is already becoming a reality in India’s tech ecosystem. At the Build With Meta Summit in Bengaluru, Manohar Paluri, VP at Meta, revealed that Llama has been downloaded over 400 million times since its release in 2023, making India one of its top three markets globally. The ease of implementation, fine-tuning, and deployment of this open-source model has made it a popular choice for realizing innovative ideas that can positively impact the lives of over a billion people in India.
At the event, Meta also announced partnerships with popular consumer apps in India, such as Flipkart, Meesho, Redbus, Dream11, and Infoedge. These partnerships have not only integrated Llama into their apps, but have also leveraged its generative AI capabilities to provide personalized user experiences. For instance, Flipkart has integrated Llama-Guard 28B, a safeguarding tool based on Llama, into its in-house safety layer, Aegis, to protect users from harmful and unwanted input responses. Additionally, Meta has invested in Tune AI, a startup that uses Llama and other large language models to help developers build and manage AI models without specialized expertise or high-end infrastructure.
Interestingly, there are also apps in India that are already using Llama in their tech stack without any explicit partnership with Meta. For example, Paluri mentioned that Ola, a popular ride-hailing app, is also using Llama. This indicates a significant shift in how generative AI can add value to millions of Indians, and the existing ecosystem developed with Llama is a testament to this.
In conclusion, Llama has not only captured the hearts of Indian developers, but has also caught the attention of India’s richest billionaire and major consumer apps in the country. Its potential to enhance the lives of over a billion people in India is being realized through partnerships and its use in various tech stacks. The future of generative AI in India looks promising, thanks to Llama and its creator, Mark.
