Open Source Summit North America 2025

The exponential growth in artificial intelligence capabilities has been fundamentally driven by open science and collaborative research. From the publication of the "Attention Is All You Need" paper that introduced the Transformer architecture to OpenAI's strategic release of GPT-2, openness has repeatedly catalyzed breakthrough innovations while enabling crucial public discourse around AI's implications.

This talk presents a compelling case for why open source development is not just beneficial but essential for the future of safe and equitable AI. We'll examine how the open-source ecosystem has democratized access to AI technology, enabled transparency and innovation, and fostered a global community of researchers working to ensure AI systems are robust and aligned with human values.

Through concrete examples, we'll demonstrate how open-source initiatives have already begun addressing critical challenges in AI development. The Model Openness Framework has established clear standards for transparency, while the pioneering OpenMDW license has created a legal framework for responsible sharing of AI artifacts.