LLaMA language model used to create Allie sexbot

Meta's open source LLaMA (Large Language Model Meta AI) large language model has been used to develop 'Allie,' an AI-powered chatbot specially created for sexual purposes that allows users to indulge in graphic rape and abuse fantasies.

The discovery raised questions about Meta's decision to open source its AI models without adequate guardrails, and about the risks and benefits of open source more generally. 

At its launch, Meta said 'LLaMA is designed to be versatile and can be applied to many different use cases. By sharing the code [..], other researchers can more easily test new approaches to limiting or eliminating these problems in large language models.' 

Allie's anonymous developer defended the bot to the Washington Post as a ‘safe outlet to explore and that he couldn't 'really think of anything safer than a text-based role-play against a computer, with no humans actually involved'.