'Open source' in the age of AI

Open-source software refers to software with publicly available source code, such that anyone can use, modify and distribute it. Today's internet is powered by open-source technology; developers around the world contribute to writing and testing software, allowing businesses to benefit from higher quality options than just costly proprietary solutions.

Open source has always been a unique community within the online sphere, but the latest issue garnering debate revolves around open-source artificial intelligence. The contention centers on how to define open-source AI, and whether open-source AI models can maintain adequate safety and security.

Open-source AI has played a central role in how the AI race has shaken out thus far. One of the most widely discussed examples is Meta's move to open source its model, Llama 3, to grow the open-source AI community and help them protect themselves from being locked into proprietary models from vendors like Google, OpenAI and Microsoft.

Additionally, there is global regulatory support to incentivize the development and adoption of open-source models. For example, the EU AI Act contains certain exemptions for open-source models. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission and the National Telecommunications Information Administration have both been vocal in their support of open-source AI models due to potential benefits for competition, innovation and security.

The Open Source Initiative's draft definition

The Open Source Initiative is a non-profit organization that serves as the leading authority on defining open source. The OSI espouses 10 principles to characterize a proper open-source license. These establish underlying values like accessibility of the source code, free redistribution and nonrestrictive licensing regimes. There are several types of open-source software licenses, some more permissive than others, but they all comply with these guidelines.