Llama

Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI) is Meta's family of open-weight language models that have become foundational to the open-source AI ecosystem. Unlike proprietary models, Llama weights can be downloaded and run locally, fine-tuned, and deployed without API calls.

The Llama family has evolved through versions: Llama, Llama 2, and Llama 3, with each generation improving capabilities. Variants include base models, chat-tuned versions, and different sizes (8B, 70B, 405B parameters). Llama models can be run via Ollama, Hugging Face, or cloud providers.

For AI engineers, Llama represents the leading open alternative to proprietary models. Use cases include: local development and testing, fine-tuning for specific domains, deployment where data privacy requires self-hosting, and cost optimization at scale. Understanding Llama's capabilities helps engineers decide when open models suffice versus when frontier APIs are needed.