Open source is more than freeware: According to the Open Source AI definition of the Open Source Initiative (OSI), a model is only open source if not only the model and the code to run it. But also the code and data (information) used to create the model have been published under an open source license
For their contribution to Maintainer Month, the OSI has collected nearly four dozen stories from maintainers to create a moment of visibility, publishing them all as a curated collection at OpenSource.org
The definition from the Open Source Initiative, which was only released in October 2024 after multiple years of research, is more specific. Users must be able to, for any purpose, use the system without having to ask permission, understand how it works, modify it, and share it with others, either with or without modifications. All these statements must apply to the model’s source code, parameters and weights, and detailed information about its training data.
Last summer, the Open Source Initiative and Open Future convened a group of experts to explore this challenge and propose a path forward. A recently released report from the convening, “Data Governance in Open Source AI” argues that collective action is needed to release more data and improve data governance to balance open sharing with responsible release.
Adding the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL) as an additional licensing option for Redis, starting with Redis 8, the business said it is moving to a licensing model approved as open source by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) – as the Server Side Public License (SSPLv1) it switched to in March last year has remained outside the accepted definition of open source software.
Advocacy organizations like the Open Source Initiative offered a strong rationale for building a strong open-source ecosystem in the U.S. “At a time when AI is evolving rapidly, the U.S. government’s AI Action Plan should include Open Source AI as a foundation to ensure as many minds as possible — from startups and researchers to major tech firms — are working to find the next Innovation,” OSI’s comments read. “Driving collaboration through Open Source can bolster the competitiveness of US companies on the world stage.”
With more organizations deploying gen AI across business functions, a new survey finds that leaders are increasingly turning to open source AI solutions to build out their tech stacks.
However, the company has called the Llama 4 models open weight and not open source, after receiving criticism that it does not match the Open Source Initiative’s official definition. This is mainly because Meta does not reveal the data that the AI models were trained on.
They’re available for download “In keeping with our commitment to open source” according to Meta’s announcement post. However the Open Source Initiative has claimed the Llama 4 Community Model is not open source because users in the European Union are denied some rights offered to users elsewhere.
Many firms are misusing the ‘open source’ label. The scientific community, which relies on transparency and replicability, must resist this trend.
“The current landscape of AI model licensing is riddled with confusion, restrictive terms, and misleading claims of openness,” Vidal said. “Instead of redefining ‘open’ to suit corporate interests, the AI industry should align with established open source principles to create a truly open ecosystem.”
The United Nations Open Source United community and the Open Source Initiative (OSI)Opens a new window today announced that the OSI has become the first organization to officially endorse the UN Open Source Principles. The UN Open Source Principles, recently adopted by the UN Chief Executive Board’s Digital Technology Network (DTN)Opens a new window, provide guidelines to drive collaboration and Open Source adoption within the UN and globally.
