Members Newsletter – August 2024
August 2024 Members Newsletter
The lively conversation about the role of data in building and modifying AI systems will continue as the OSI travels to China this month for AI_dev (August 21-23 in Hong Kong) and Open Source Congress (August 25-27 in Beijing). The OSI has been able to chime in on news stories on the topic, several of which are linked here in the newsletter.
Last month the OSI was at the United Nations in New York City for OSPOs for Good, an event that covered key areas of open source policy, as well as emerging examples of ‘Open Source for good’ from across the globe. I participated in a panel on Open Source AI.
Creating an Open Source AI Definition has been an arduous task over the past couple of years, but we know the importance of creating this standard so the freedoms to use, study, share and modify AI systems can be guaranteed. Those are the core tenets of Open Source, and it warrants the dedicated work it has required. Please read about the people who have played key roles in bringing the Definition to life in our Voices of Open Source AI Definition on the blog.
Stefano Maffulli
Executive Director, OSI
I hold weekly office hours on Fridays with OSI members: book time if you want to chat about OSI’s activities, if you want to volunteer or have suggestions.
News from the OSI
OSI at the United Nations OSPOs for Good
From the Research and Advocacy program
Earlier this month the Open Source Initiative participated in the “OSPOs for Good” event promoted by the United Nations in NYC. Read more.
The Open Source Initiative joins CMU in launching Open Forum for AI: A human-centered approach to AI development
From the Research and Advocacy program
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is pleased to share that we are joining the founding team of Open Forum for AI (OFAI), an initiative designed by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). Read more
GUAC adopts license metadata from ClearlyDefined
From the License and Legal program
The software supply chain just gained some transparency thanks to an integration of the Open Source Initiative (OSI) project, ClearlyDefined, into GUAC (Graph for Understanding Artifact Composition), an OpenSSF project from the Linux Foundation. Read more.
Better identifying conda packages with ClearlyDefined
From the License and Legal program
ClearlyDefined now provides a new harvester implementation for conda, a popular package manager with a large collection of pre-built packages for various domains, including data science, machine learning, scientific computing and more. Read more.
OSI in the news
Can AI even be open source? It’s complicated
OSI at ZDNet
AI can’t exist without open source, but the top AI vendors are unwilling to commit to open-sourcing their programs and data sets. To complicate matters further, defining open-source AI is a messy issue that has yet to be settled. Read more.
Open Source AI: What About Data Transparency?
OSI at The New Stack
AI uses both code and data, and this combination continues to be a challenge for open source, said experts at the United Nations OSPOs for Good Conference. Read more.
A new White House report embraces open-source AI
OSI at ZDNet
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a report supporting open-source and open models to promote innovation in AI, while emphasizing the need for vigilant risk monitoring. Read more.
With Open Source Artificial Intelligence, Don’t Forget the Lessons of Open Source Software
OSI at CISA
While there is not yet a consensus on the definition of what constitutes “open source AI”, the Open Source Initiative, which maintains the “Open Source Definition” and a list of approved OSS licenses, has been “driving a multi-stakeholder process to define an ‘Open Source AI’”. Read more.
Meta inches toward open source AI with new LLaMA 3.1
OSI at ZDNet
Is Meta’s 405 billion parameter model really open source? Depends on who you ask. Here’s how to try out the new engine for yourself. Read more.
Other news
News from OSI affiliates
- Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla’s Policy Vision for the new EU Mandate: Advancing Openness, Privacy, Fair Competition, and Choice for all
- OASIS Open: The biggest names in AI have teamed up to promote AI security
- Apache Software Foundation, Eclipse Foundation, Linux Foundation: How open source attracts some of the world’s top innovators
- Eclipse Foundation: The Eclipse Foundation Announces Agenda and Keynote Speakers for Open Community Experience (OCX 2024), Europe’s Premier Event for Open Source Innovation
News from OpenSource.net
- Open Source takes center stage at United Nations
- Open Source in Europe: Facing the regulatory challenge
- Open Source projects vs products: A strategic approach
Voices of the Open Source AI Definition
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) is running a series of stories about a few of the people involved in the Open Source AI Definition (OSAID) co-design process.
7th annual OSPO and Open Source Management Survey
The TODO Group and Linux Foundation Research, in partnership with Cisco, NGINX, Open Source Initiative, InnerSource Commons, and CHAOSS, are excited to be launching the 7th annual OSPO and Open Source Management survey! Take survey here.
2024 Open Source Software Funding Survey
This survey tries to better understand how organizations fund, contribute to, and support open source software projects. This survey is a collaboration between GitHub, Inc., the Linux Foundation, and researchers from Harvard University. Take survey here.
Events
Upcoming events
- AI_dev China (August 21-23, 2024 – Hong Kong)
- Open Source Congress (August 25-27, 2024 – Beijing)
- Open Source Summit Europe (September 16-18, 2024 – Vienna)
- Nerdearla Argentina (September 24-28, 2024 – Buenos Aires)
- SOSS Fusion (October 22-23, 2024 – Atlanta)
- Open Community Experience (October 22-24, 2024 – Mainz)
- All Things Open (October 27-29 – Raleigh)
- OpenForum Academy Symposium (November, 13-14, 2024 – Boston)
Thanks to our sponsors
New members and renewals
- Cisco
- Microsoft
- Bloomberg
- SAS
- Intel
- Look to the right
Interested in sponsoring, or partnering with, the OSI? Please see our Sponsorship Prospectus and our Annual Report. We also have a dedicated prospectus for the Deep Dive: Defining Open Source AI. Please contact the OSI to find out more about how your company can promote open source development, communities and software.
Support OSI by becoming a member!
Let’s build a world where knowledge is freely shared, ideas are nurtured, and innovation knows no bounds!
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