Meta Reportedly Cooking Up Llama 4: Get Ready for Scout, Maverick, and Behemoth?

Hold onto your hats, AI fans – whispers are swirling that Meta is deep into developing its next major large language model, Llama 4. Following the splash made by Llama 3, the tech giant seems poised to continue its aggressive push in the AI space, potentially rolling out a new family of models designed to compete head-on with offerings from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic.

According to reports, Meta might be taking a tiered approach this time around. Instead of a single release, Llama 4 could arrive in three distinct sizes, tentatively named:

• Scout: Likely a smaller, more efficient model, perhaps optimized for on-device tasks or quicker responses.
• Maverick: A mid-tier option, potentially balancing performance with resource requirements, aiming for broad usability.
• Behemoth: As the name suggests, this would probably be the flagship, large-scale model designed to push the boundaries of capability, targeting complex reasoning and performance benchmarks.

What Improvements Can We Expect?

While details are still scarce, the development focus for Llama 4 is expected to center on key areas where the AI race is heating up. Enhanced reasoning abilities, more sophisticated coding generation, and overall performance improvements are likely high on Meta’s priority list. The goal, as always, is to close the gap with – or even surpass – the top closed-source models while sticking to Meta’s significant open-source strategy.

Meta’s commitment to open-sourcing its powerful Llama models has been a major differentiator, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of developers and researchers building on their technology. Continuing this trend with Llama 4, especially with varied sizes like Scout, Maverick, and Behemoth, could further democratize access to cutting-edge AI.

The AI Arms Race Continues

This reported development comes as no surprise given the relentless pace of innovation and competition. With rivals constantly releasing updates and new models, Meta needs Llama 4 to maintain its momentum and influence. The potential release, possibly landing sometime between late 2024 and early 2025, would be Meta’s next big statement in the ongoing battle for AI supremacy.

Leveraging its considerable compute resources and the expertise within its FAIR (Fundamental AI Research) division, Meta appears determined to remain a central player. The development of different model sizes suggests a sophisticated strategy aimed at capturing various segments of the market, from individual developers to large enterprises.

This story was originally featured on Silicon Republic.