AI Jargon Buster
AI news and the language around it, simplified.
What is Open Source?
Open Source refers to software or AI models where the underlying instructions and design are shared publicly. Anyone can inspect, change, or build upon this work without needing permission from the original creator. In the context of AI, this means you can download the model to your own computer or private servers rather than relying on a company to host it for you. This approach encourages collaboration and transparency because developers around the world can review the code to find errors or improve how the system performs. It stands in contrast to proprietary models, which are locked behind a company interface and remain hidden from public view.
Why this matters to you
Choosing open source gives you more control over your digital tools. It allows your organization to keep sensitive information on your own private hardware instead of sending it to a third party. It also prevents you from being locked into a single vendor, as you own the model and can adapt it to your specific business needs without paying ongoing subscription fees to a large tech corporation.
How you might hear this
We decided to build our internal chatbot on an open source model so we could keep our proprietary research data off the public cloud.
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