Meta's Revenue Sharing with Llama AI Hosts Revealed

Meta has revenue-sharing agreements with hosts of its Llama AI models, despite previous statements suggesting otherwise, according to a newly unredacted court filing. The filing, part of the copyright lawsuit Kadrey v. Meta, reveals that Meta shares a percentage of the revenue generated by companies hosting its Llama models.

While Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously stated that selling access to Llama models wasn't part of Meta's business model, the filing indicates otherwise. The document does not specify which hosts pay Meta, but Meta has listed partners such as AWS, Nvidia, and Google Cloud in various blog posts.

Developers can use Llama models independently, but many choose host partners for additional services and tools. Zuckerberg has mentioned the potential for licensing access to Llama models and monetizing them through business messaging services and ads in AI interactions.

The revelation of these revenue-sharing agreements is significant in light of the ongoing lawsuit, which accuses Meta of using pirated e-books to train its Llama models. The case highlights the complex legal and ethical challenges surrounding AI model training and revenue generation.