In the world that we know, when someone wants to make use of a specific software, they download or buy the end product and install it onto their device. This could be an anti-virus program, adobe photoshop, a computer game, or lots of other programs. What they usually don’t see is the written code embedded in the program which makes it function. However, this is changing due to a trend where some of the world’s biggest companies are making their software code open source.
Open source refers to the practice of a company releasing all relevant source code and platforms into the public domain and publishing freely about algorithms and scientific insights and ideas gained in the course of the research (Nick Bostrom, 2017).
Open source coding has been around for a long time. It originated from code fanatics who though it was important that well written code should be shared with everyone. In the beginning you had skeptics, which is reasonable as you need to trust strangers with your code. These were the pillars to today’s form of open source coding which revolves around no longer having to “reinvent the wheel” and being able to focus on innovation.
Not only does this have consequences for companies’ strategies and profit margins, but it also impacts the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The coding of AI by multinationals is currently being done with a high degree of openness, however it could be exploited more. It is to be expected that this trend will continue, why would a business share the codes that contributed to their success?
The mere fact that companies are sharing their code indicates that the pros outweigh the cons. Operating with open source coding increases the likelihood that errors and opportunities and risks will be dealt with.
There are a lot of positive consequences for AI development that come from open source coding. It gives companies better opportunities to innovate with AI, and to learn from others’ ideas. It creates feedback loops that solve problems, improve products, foster development, or inspire trust in AI models and predictions (Forbes Insights 2019). Moreover, existing algorithms and techniques will be improved or new ones will be developed that will be useful for a business in various ways.
However, skeptics argue that there are also downsides to the rapid development of AI by open source coding. They fear:
• AI influencing military operations, which could lead to new arms races or a lower threshold to go to war. (Future of Life Institute, 2015).
• Cyber-attacks could be used to discriminate against certain groups, or invade privacy. (Balkin, 2008).
• Creating labour market dislocations and reducing the employability of workers (Autor, 2015; Brynjolfsson and McAfee, 2014)
To conclude, there definitely are a lot of positive consequences that will come from open source coding. However, we should not forget the negative unintended impact it could also cause. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the development of AI. However, one thing is for sure, it is happening and developing faster and faster. It is up to us in which direction we steer it.
References:
Autor, D. H. (2015) ‘Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29 (3), pp. 3–30.
Balkin, J. M. (2008) ‘The Constitution in the National Surveillance State’, Minnesota Law Review, 93 (1), pp. 1–25.
Brynjolfsson, E. and McAfee, A. (2014) The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. New York: WW Norton & Company
Forbes Insights (2019) ‘The Power of Open Source AI’. Available from: Oforbes.com/sites/-insights-intelai/2019/05/22/the-power-of-open-source-ai. [Accessed 11 september 2019]
Future of Life Institute (2015) ‘Autonomous Weapons: An Open Letter from AI & Robotics Researchers’, [online]. Available from: http://futureoflife.org/open-letter-autonomous-weapons [Accessed 8 November 2016].
Nick Bostrom (2017) ‘Strategic Implications of Openness in AI Development’. Furute of Humanity Institute University of Oxford. Available from: https://www.nickbostrom.com- /papers/openness.pdf [Accessed 11 september 2019].
