David Siegel: Why We Must Actively Fund Open Source AI Now

Must actively fund open source AI [pdf]

After debating Richard Stallman on open source in the 1980s, I now see the same fight unfolding in AI. While frontier models become increasingly closed, we risk locking away the very knowledge driving scientific progress. Transparency is essential for safety and innovation, yet the code and data behind today's models are vanishing. We must actively fund open source AI to ensure it remains a public good rather than a proprietary oracle.

"An openness that can be switched off at will is not a foundation; it is a favor."