With an aim to foster innovation in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Meta on Thursday announced a two-year partnership with the Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (ITE&C), Government of Telangana. The partnership will empower public officials and citizens with the latest emerging technologies like AI to enhance e-governance and citizen services, according to an official press release.
Meta will collaborate with the Government of Telangana to enable deployment of e-governance solutions leveraging the company’s open-source Generative AI technologies including the latest Llama 3.1 model. This will be geared towards transforming various aspects of public service delivery and e-governance, along with enhancing efficiency and productivity of government departments and agencies through the use of Gen AI, the company said.
Shivnath Thukral, Vice President and Head of Public Policy, Meta India, said, “At Meta, we’re committed to harnessing Generative AI’s power for global good, ensuring equitable access to its benefits. By sharing openly available AI models, we’re driving innovation and democratizing access. This mission converges with our dedication to e-governance, leveraging digital technologies to enhance government services, transparency, and citizen engagement in the state of Telangana. Together, AI and e-governance will foster a more efficient, accountable, and inclusive future, where technology empowers citizens and governments alike.”This strategic partnership is aligned with Meta’s open approach to AI innovation and Telangana’s digital leadership, aiming to harness the potential of AI to drive social and economic opportunities in the state, while addressing unique local needs, and paving the way for groundbreaking solutions, the company said.
Meta’s leading open-source Llama ecosystem is growing rapidly. Llama models are approaching 350 million downloads to date, which is more than 10x downloads from last year. There’s a vibrant community of developers fine-tuning Llama for their own use cases in India and globally. This includes the likes of large enterprises like AT&T, DoorDash, Goldman Sachs, Nomura, Shopify, Spotify and Zoom, besides Infosys and KPMG using Llama internally. Open source AI enables customization and fine-tuning for specific domains, ensuring sensitive information remains confidential and secure, it added.
