Open Source AI Is Giving Rise To National Security Nightmares

In 2024, researchers with ties to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) used Meta's open-source LLaMA model to create an AI tool called "ChatBIT," according to a Reuters report. The tool was designed for military use, including intelligence collection and operational decision-making. Meta's policies forbid the use of its technology for military and espionage purposes; however, the open-source nature of LLaMA made it difficult for Meta to enforce these restrictions.  Artificial intelligence technologies, models, and tools that are publicly available under open-source licenses are referred to as Open Source AI. This implies that the AI software can be accessed, modified, distributed, and collaborated on without restrictions by anyone, including individual developers, researchers