Explained: What is open source software and its relationship to the AI ​​race?

Open source software (OSS) is quietly making waves in the AI ​​industry, as it has been for a long time.

Hyderabad: Every major tech company in the world is focused on developing its own version of an AI-powered interactive chatbot, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While this has led to an all-out AI war with companies aggressively promoting their products, open source software (OSS) is quietly making waves in the AI ​​industry, as it has been for a long time.

What is open source software?

OSS is software available online that can be accessed, used and even changed for free without any restrictions. For example, someone writes new code and uploads it online. Now, anyone with the proper tools can access that code and add to and change it to make it better.

Now, we all know how competitive the big tech companies are with their code and how secure they keep it. This is because it is the backbone of their company and revenue.

That said, historically, some of the most complex and advanced technologies have been open-sourced, which is a way to move quickly. While this is a great collaborative way to develop technology, the OSS model has little oversight and is just as dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands.

Interestingly, Twitter CEO Elon Musk recently said that he would open source the microblogging site’s algorithm.

Open Source Software and Artificial Intelligence

While many tech giants are getting closer to their cards when it comes to AI algorithms, many tech experts say progress is being made more rapidly in the OSS space. Open source AI can include a variety of technologies that are helpful to product teams, independent application developers, and businesses.

“The open source software movement is an unprecedented driver of global innovation and productivity growth,” Reuters wrote in their article on OSS and the trade war.

While OSS has its own set of challenges, such as licensing, authenticity, complexity of the datasets being processed, and security concerns; it also makes cutting-edge technology freely available to all.

In terms of artificial intelligence, it is well known that some artificial intelligence software of OSS is very good. Acumos AI and H20.AI are prime examples.