Meta Launches Llama 4 AI Model with Open Access

Meta’s Llama 4 AI: What Developers Can and Can’t Do with It

Meta has officially launched Llama 4, the newest version of its open-weight AI model designed for developers, startups, and research teams. It’s being praised for offering greater access to powerful AI tools—but like all models released under a non-commercial license, there are rules around what you can and can’t do.

This guide breaks down what Llama 4 allows, what it restricts, and how it compares to other AI models like GPT-4 or Gemini.

✅ What Llama 4 Allows

Meta is offering Llama 4 as an open-weight model, which gives developers the ability to access and use the model freely—but under specific terms. Here’s what you’re allowed to do:

• Download and use the model
  You can access Llama 4 through platforms like GitHub, Microsoft Azure, and Hugging Face. This makes it easy to experiment and build prototypes.

• Fine-tune for specific tasks
  Llama 4 supports fine-tuning via PyTorch, which means you can train it on your own data for more customized performance (e.g., building a chatbot or summarizer tailored to your brand).

• Deploy on your own infrastructure
  Unlike GPT-4, which runs only through OpenAI’s API, Llama 4 can be hosted on your own servers or in the cloud, giving you more control over data privacy and latency.

• Multimodal task support
  It can handle text and image inputs, making it suitable for advanced applications like image captioning, document reading, or content generation.

• Use in academic research or internal development
  Educational institutions, research labs, and internal dev teams can use Llama 4 for learning, prototyping, and non-commercial exploration.

❌ What Llama 4 Restricts

While Llama 4 is open-weight, it is not fully open-source, and its license has important limitations—especially for commercial users. Here’s what you can’t do:

• No direct commercial use (without approval)
  You can’t integrate Llama 4 into a product or service that is sold or monetized, unless you receive explicit approval from Meta or fall under its permitted commercial use terms (which are limited to smaller companies).

• No use for generating harmful or misleading content
  Meta’s license strictly prohibits using Llama 4 to produce spam, deepfakes, hate speech, disinformation, or anything that violates ethical AI standards.

• No redistribution without license
  You cannot share or repackage the model weights outside of approved platforms like GitHub or Hugging Face, unless you're following Meta’s redistribution terms.

• Limited use for large-scale enterprises
  Companies with more than a set number of users or revenue (as defined in the license) may not be eligible to use Llama 4 without a separate agreement.

How Does This Compare to GPT-4 and Gemini?