Notwithstanding reports on online message boards that its most recent large language model had been leaked to unauthorised users, Meta Platforms Inc. stated on Monday that it will keep providing its artificial intelligence tools to authorised researchers.

While some have attempted to bypass the clearance procedure and the model is not accessible to everyone, Meta stated in a statement that it believes the current release method allows it to strike a balance between accountability and openness.

Large Language Model Meta AI, dubbed LLaMA by Facebook owner Meta, was revealed last month. Meta owns Facebook. The model, according to Meta, can mimic human-like conversational skills developed by OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, and Alphabet Inc. while utilising significantly less computational power.

The majority of the work done by Meta’s AI research division is shared publicly, in contrast to certain competitors like OpenAI, which keeps close tabs on its technology and charges software developers to access it. Yet, there is also the possibility for abuse with AI tools, such as the dissemination of misleading information.

After going through a screening process, Meta offers its tools to researchers and other organisations connected to the government, civil society, and academia under a non-commercial licence in order to prevent misuse of that nature.

Users of the web forum 4Chan stated last week that the model was now downloadable. Reuters was unable to independently confirm those assertions.

According to Meta’s statement, the LLaMA release was handled in the same manner as those of earlier models, and the company has no plans to alter its approach.

In order to analyse and enhance these models, Meta wants to share cutting-edge AI models with the research community, she explained.