Meta Launches Llama API to Compete in AI Development Market

Meta Platforms has introduced a new application programming interface (API) for its Llama artificial intelligence models, aiming to attract businesses and developers to build AI products more easily.

Credit: META

The Llama API was unveiled during Meta’s first AI developer conference on Tuesday. Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said developers can now begin using Llama “with one line of code.”

The API positions Meta to compete with offerings from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, Google, and low-cost alternatives like China’s DeepSeek. APIs are a key revenue source for companies like OpenAI, enabling developers to integrate AI models into their own applications.

Meta did not disclose pricing for the Llama API. The company said the API is currently available as a limited preview for select customers and will be rolled out more broadly in the coming weeks or months.

Meta also launched a standalone AI assistant app on Tuesday. The company plans to test a paid subscription service for its AI chatbot in the second quarter.

Meta has made its Llama models largely free for developers. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said this strategy will lead to more innovation, reduced reliance on competitors, and increased engagement on Meta’s platforms.

“You have full agency over these custom models,” said Manohar Paluri, Vice President of AI. “You control them in a way that’s not possible with other offers.”

At the conference, Meta developers highlighted new techniques used to cut costs and improve the efficiency of the latest Llama version. Zuckerberg welcomed competition, saying it would prevent market dominance by a few players.

“If another model, like DeepSeek, is better at something, then now as developers you have the ability to take the best parts of the intelligence from the different models and produce exactly what you need,” Zuckerberg said.

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• Meta unveiled Llama API at its first AI developer conference

• API allows developers to integrate Llama models with minimal code

• Pricing not disclosed; limited preview available now

Source: REUTERS