Open Source
Open source describes software released with source code and a license granting rights to use, study, modify and redistribute it. Seeing the code or downloading it for free is not enough; the license must grant those freedoms.
Suppose a team uses an open-source document parser. It can inspect the parsing logic, fix a bug and distribute its version under the license’s conditions. Depending on the license, those conditions can include preserving notices or sharing modified source when distributing the software.
The Open Source Initiative’s software definition also rules out restrictions on particular people or fields of use. A repository that permits research but forbids commercial use does not meet that definition merely because its code is visible. Check the actual license for the component you intend to use.
For artificial intelligence (AI), identify what is being released: application code, model weights, training code and data information are separate materials. An open-source inference server can run a proprietary model, and downloadable weights alone do not establish an open-source AI system. This matters for what a team can inspect, change and share.
Sources
- Open Source Initiative: The Open Source Definition — Specifies source availability, redistribution, derived works and nondiscrimination requirements.
Go deeper
- Open Source Initiative: Approved licenses docs
Read the conditions of individual open-source software licenses.