Meta Platforms launched its latest large language model, Llama 3, and a real-time image generator designed to update pictures as users type prompts. The development aims to catch up with the generative AI market leader, OpenAI. The models are set to be integrated into Meta's virtual assistant, Meta AI, which the company claims to be the most advanced among its free-to-use counterparts. Performance comparisons highlight its reasoning, coding, and creative writing capabilities against competitors like Google and Mistral AI.

Meta is giving prominence to its updated Meta AI assistant within its various platforms, positioning it to compete more directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT. The assistant will feature prominently in Meta's Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger apps, along with a standalone website offering various functionalities, from creating vacation packing lists to providing homework help.

The development of Llama 3 is part of Meta's efforts to challenge OpenAI's leading position in generative AI. The company has openly released its Llama models for developers, aiming to disrupt rivals' revenue plans with powerful free options. However, critics have raised safety concerns about unscrupulous actors' potential misuse of such models.

While Llama 3 currently outputs only text, future versions will incorporate multimodal capabilities, generating text and images. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasised the performance of Llama 3 versions against other free models, indicating a growing performance gap between free and proprietary models. The company aims to address previous issues with understanding context by leveraging high-quality data and significantly increasing the training data for Llama 3.