Analysis of Anti-AI Restrictions in Open Source Licensing
By
W-Stool
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
The article discusses the philosophical and legal distinctions between Free Software and Open Source licenses, with a focus on whether licenses can restrict AI training on code. It explores the tension between traditional open source principles and emerging concerns about AI companies using code for training without contributing back. The author argues that while Open Source has a specific definition, new terms like "Source Available" might be needed for licenses that restrict AI training, and examines whether such restrictions violate the Open Source Definition's prohibition on field-of-use restrictions.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe GPL places no restrictions on how you can run the software. All meaningful licenses place restrictions — or, conversely, limit the permissions they grant — on how the code can be used, distributed, integrated with other projects, etc.
But I disagree that the meaning of Open Source is malleable. As others here said, if we want to make a new definition, we should make a new term. In my opinion, in this case, we have. It’s Source Available, which is basically 'look, but don’t touch'
The Open Source Definition explicitly prohibits field-of-use restrictions. If you can't use the software for AI training, that's a field-of-use restriction.
The real question is whether preventing AI training is a field-of-use restriction. I think it clearly is. You're saying 'you can use this software for any purpose except training AI models'
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