US government agencies can use Meta's Llama now - here's what that means

"The US government can now use Meta's Llama, a family of AI models. The US General Services Administration (GSA), an independent federal agency responsible for purchasing workplace equipment and software, now includes Llama -- a somewhat open-source system, though that's been debated -- as one of several approved AI tools federal agencies can use, the agency Monday."

"Llama's publicly available and open-source nature enables federal agencies to have full control over data handling, like processing and storage. It also lowers the cost of operations for wider scaling at a more affordable rate, Meta's release notes. While open-source models can help democratize development, and in this case, access to AI tools, they can also be more at risk for security issues. In its announcement, GSA said it verified that Llama meets federal usage requirements, some of which were outlined in the Trump administration's AI Action Plan, a set of AI policy guidelines released this summer."

The General Services Administration (GSA) added Meta's Llama to an approved list of AI tools federal agencies can use. Federal agencies can now use Llama to process data, generate images, and fulfill tasks across broader use cases beyond prior national security projects. Llama is publicly available to developers and its open-source nature allows agencies to control data handling, processing, and storage while lowering operational costs for scaling. Open-source models increase risk of security issues. The GSA verified that Llama meets federal usage requirements, including some outlined in the Trump administration's AI Action Plan.

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