Why open-source AI models are good for the world
Their critics dwell on the dangers and underestimate the benefits
Open innovation lies at the heart of the artificial-intelligence (ai) boom. The neural network “transformer”—the t in GPT—that underpins OpenAI’s was first published as research by engineers at Google. TensorFlow and PyTorch, used to build those neural networks, were created by Google and Meta, respectively, and shared with the world. Today, some argue that AI is too important and sensitive to be available to everyone, everywhere. Models that are “open-source”—ie, that make underlying code available to all, to remix and reuse as they please—are often seen as dangerous.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Freedom to tinker”
From the November 9th 2024 edition
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