News

Meta & Microsoft Release AI Language Tool For Commercial Use

The open-source AI model, called Llama 2, will be available through the Azure AI catalog and Amazon Web Services, as well as in a standalone Windows version.

Published

3 years ago

July 19, 2023

Nour Nasir

Meta

Meta and Microsoft have partnered to create Llama 2, a “next-generation large language AI model” for commercial and research applications. Llama 2’s open-source code places greater importance on responsibility and includes a reasonable use guide, plus an acceptable use policy to prevent criminal applications, misleading information, and spam.

Meta is releasing pre-trained and conversation-oriented versions of Llama 2 for free. Meanwhile, Microsoft is making the AI tool available through the Azure AI catalog to use with cloud tools, including content filtering. Llama 2 can also run directly on Windows PCs and will be available through outside providers such as Amazon Web Services and Hugging Face.

Major rivals like the popular OpenAI GPT-4 are often locked down for greater subscription or licensing revenue, but Llama 2’s Open Source code lets companies customize the AI technology for their own purposes — such as chatbots and image generators — while providing a way for outsiders to check for biases, inaccuracies, and operating flaws.

Also Read: The Largest Data Breaches In The Middle East

For Microsoft, Llama 2 is an important project in the fight against AI rivals — notably Google. Microsoft already uses OpenAI systems in Azure and Bing, so the latest Meta collaboration should give business customers greater choice, especially if they’re interested in fine-tuning an AI model to suit more specialist needs.

Related Topics:Artificial Intelligence Meta Microsoft

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Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.