The next wave of American innovation is set to emerge from small and medium-sized businesses that are harnessing open source models to punch above their weight.

While headlines around AI tend to spotlight major tech companies, small businesses, organizations and even individuals have been using open source AI models to develop groundbreaking solutions to complex problems because it provides access to cutting-edge AI technology at a lower cost than closed source models. Leading open source AI models like Meta's Llama, which has been downloaded more than 1.2 billion times, demonstrate this value with its low cost and strong performance.

Why it's important: Real-world applications of open source AI highlight its ability to boost innovation, create economic opportunities, and maintain U.S. competitiveness globally.

• A recently released report by the Linux Foundation on the economic and workforce benefits of open source AI shows that nearly half of organizations surveyed are choosing open source AI because of its cost savings — and smaller businesses without deep pockets are adopting it at a higher rate.

Open source AI is leveling the playing field, allowing innovative small and medium-sized companies to compete in the global economy. Here's how three small businesses are leveraging Meta's Llama to achieve significant impact:

WriteSea: connecting Americans with meaningful work faster. WriteSea, a small business based in Tulsa, Okla., uses Llama to power Job Search Genius, an AI career coach designed to improve resumes and interview performance, significantly enhancing job search outcomes.

• Job seekers using WriteSea find employment in half the time compared to traditional methods, directly contributing to putting more Americans back to work.
• "Cost matters," says WriteSea co-founder and CEO Brandon Mitchell. "Instead of paying for these super scaled API calls for a closed source model, you can control your cost when you're building on top of Llama."
• Data security is also paramount because resumes include a lot of personally identifiable information. "Because we can deploy and fine-tune everything locally on our own servers, we have full security of our data," says Mitchell. "We have 100% certainty that it's not being accessed."

Srimoyee Mukhopadhyay: supporting local tourism.In Austin, Texas, machine learning engineer Srimoyee Mukhopadhyay is using Llama to build Unveil, an application that helps people discover Austin's hidden cultural gems and local businesses.

• Her app uses Llama's vision capabilities to turn city walks into educational experiences, while also boosting foot traffic to small local businesses off the beaten path.
• "I use Llama to transform cities into living museums, revealing their best-kept secrets: murals, street art, and lost histories," says Mukhopadhyay. "Thanks to our app and Llama's new vision model, you can take a photo and the Llama model gives you the history behind that particular thing you captured, including how it relates to the culture and history of Austin."

Fynopsis: empowering small businesses in M&A. Austin-based startup Fynopsis uses Llama to power a modern virtual data room, helping small and mid-sized businesses navigate mergers and acquisitions more efficiently, securely and affordably.

• By replacing outdated and costly systems — sometimes costing up to $80,000 — Fynopsis streamlines secure AI-powered workflows for M&A accessible to businesses with limited resources. This can save M&A firms hundreds of hours and reduce their deal timelines.
• "We believe open source is huge in the business space because it brings transparency and an increase in security," says CEO William Zhang. "The smaller 8B Llama model is an absolute powerhouse — lightweight, cost-effective, and fast."

The impact: As an open source AI model, Llama is enabling small and medium-sized businesses, developers, and startups to:

• Customize and deploy AI without prohibitive costs.
• Retain full control over sensitive data.
• Innovate faster and compete in legacy industries.

The takeaway: Llama is helping power a wave of homegrown innovation across the country. By making powerful AI models open and accessible, Meta is helping ensure these economic benefits of AI are available to everyone — not just a few.

That's why Meta continues advocating to make open access to AI the industry standard.

Learn more.