Scientists and Engineers Leave Meta as AI Model Llama Faces Internal Struggles
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is grappling with internal issues as scientists and engineers who worked on the company’s generative AI bot, LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI), have left to join other companies or AI startups. This development comes after the release of two AI models, Llama and Llama 2, within a short span of time.
LLaMA garnered praise for being a free and open-source alternative to models from OpenAI and Anthropic. However, some of the contributors to LLaMA expressed dissatisfaction with the timing of the recognition. They felt that the acknowledgement came too late, leading to frustration and their subsequent departures.
It is reported that a conflict over access to computing resources within the company triggered this situation. The dispute, which had not been disclosed before, allegedly involved a Meta research team working on a rival model that the company ultimately abandoned. This internal competition left employees feeling embittered and ultimately compelled them to quit.
Llama 2, launched in July, is an enhanced version of Llama. It possesses the ability to generate text and code, similar to other chatbot systems. Being a large language model (LLM), Llama 2 is more powerful and efficient than its predecessors. It has been trained on an extensive dataset of text and code, enabling it to generate text that is more informative and creative than leading models like Google’s Bard or ChatGPT.
As per Meta, Llama 2 incorporates a combination of publicly accessible data and showcases significant performance improvements compared to previous Llama models.
The departure of scientists and engineers from Meta raises concerns about the sustainability and future development of the Llama project. The loss of key personnel may impact the speed and quality of advancements in AI technology.
Overall, Meta’s Llama project has faced setbacks due to internal conflicts and employee attrition. The departure of scientists and engineers highlights the importance of maintaining a harmonious work environment and providing adequate resources to research teams.
It remains to be seen how Meta will overcome these challenges and continue its pursuit of innovative AI solutions. The company needs to address the internal issues faced by its research teams to ensure the success and longevity of future projects.
