Scale AI recently announced “Defense Llama,” a specialized large language model (LLM) tailored for US national security applica­tions. According to Scale AI, Defense Llama is available exclusively in controlled US government environments within Scale’s net­work and “empowers our service members and national security professionals to apply the power of generative AI to their unique use cases, such as planning military or intelligence operations and understanding adversary vulnerabilities.”

Built on Meta’s Llama 3 architecture, the model has been trained on a vast dataset that includes military doctrine, international humanitarian law, and relevant policies, ensuring its outputs align with the Department of Defense’s guidelines and ethical principles. Additionally, Defense Llama’s responses adhere to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s style and tone, enhancing its relevance for national security users.

"Supporting American national security is an important component of the work we do at Scale. With Defense Llama, our service members can now better harness generative AI to address their specific mission needs," said Scale AI Co-Founder and CEO Alexandr Wang.

The model is housed within Scale AI’s Donovan platform, an AI-powered copilot that provides real-time data analysis and opera­tional insights. The platform is designed to assist military per­sonnel by processing large volumes of classified and unclassified information, summarizing intelligence, and generating strategic recommendations.

The deployment of Defense Llama is part of a broader push by the US Department of Defense to integrate artificial intelligence into its strategic and operational framework. AI-driven systems are increasingly being used to enhance battlefield awareness, streamline logistics, and support intelligence gathering. However, the introduction of an AI-powered LLM specifically tailored for national security marks a significant shift in how defense agencies leverage machine learning.

In addition to Defense Llama, Scale AI has partnered with Meta to facilitate the enterprise adoption of Llama 3.1. This collaboration aims to help businesses evaluate, customize, and deploy the Llama 3.1 model for various enterprise use cases using Scale’s GenAI Platform.