Meta will now be able to supply U.S. government entities with AI services and systems, after gaining approval from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which supports the government-wide use of AI models.
The approval will essentially mean that Meta’s AI tools are on the approved list of AI vendors, along with xAI and OpenAI (among others), providing more options for government entities in implementing AI solutions.
As explained by Meta:
“We previously made Llama available to U.S. government agencies and contractors working on national security applications, and collaborated to send Llama into space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. Now we’re excited to support the federal government’s AI adoption, a crucial step in advancing America’s global AI leadership.”
The approval will mean that federal agencies will be able to utilize Meta’s evolving AI models and tools, in alignment with the U.S. government’s “AI Action Plan,” which will give them access to the expanding processing power of Meta’s AI systems, as it continues to build more data capacity via various projects.
Indeed, Meta’s planning to spend over $65 billion on AI initiatives in 2025 alone, and in combination with its broader “Superintelligence” project, it could end up being best-placed to provide advanced AI systems and tools to enhance government systems.
Though reforming government bureaucracy is a challenge within itself.
As Elon Musk recently found, while efficiencies are feasible, regulatory requirements, which have generally been implemented for good reason, slow the pace of adoption of new technologies in government.
Indeed, when asked about the challenges of working with government agencies in a recent interview, Musk said that such systems are “basically unfixable” in their current state.
Still, Meta’s hoping to secure government supply contracts in various areas, in order to advance systematic development:
“Llama models offer federal agencies the ability to retain full control over data processing and storage. Since the models are publicly available, technical teams can build, deploy, and scale AI applications at a lower cost, delivering significant value to American taxpayers. Unlike traditional OneGov agreements, this arrangement required no procurement negotiations because our Llama models are freely available. Instead, GSA focused on backend work, verifying that Llama meets federal requirements and provides consistent, streamlined access across government.”
So there are clear benefits here in Meta’s open source approach, and it’ll be interesting to see if and how Meta’s AI tools are adapted by government departments.
Though that could also give Zuck and Co. more influence over more elements. I mean, as Meta notes, these systems are open source, and transparent. But still, I do wonder whether the general public will be as supportive of tech billionaires branching into more elements of our everyday lives.
