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Why ‘open’ AI systems are actually closed, and why this matters

A review of the literature on artificial intelligence systems to examine openness reveals that open AI systems are actually closed, as they are highly dependent on the resources of a few large corporate actors.

In 2007, Google open sourced and heavily invested in Android OS, allowing them to achieve mobile operating prominence over competitor Apple and attracting scrutiny from regulators for anticompetitive practices 25. Our analysis builds on the work of past scholars who have written on connections between open-source software, AI and corporate power: N. Dyer-Witheford, A. M. Kjosen, J. Steinhoff, S. Gürses, J. Cobbe, J. Singh, M. Veale, G. Coleman, C. Kelty, D. Nafus, I. Solaiman and P. Chavez. We are grateful to P. Azunre, A. Bertsch, S. Biderman, F. Chollet, S. Gururaja, A. Hanna, A. Kak, C. Kelty, J. Lund, K. Mahelona, V. Mathur, M. Mitchell, A. Skowron, J. Sundwall, Z. Talat and L. Villa for feedback and conversations that deeply enriched this paper.

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