Creating a universal definition of “open source AI” has generated a fair amount of debate and confusion, with many outfits using elastic parameters in order to achieve a fit. Now the Open Source Initiative (OSI) — “the authority that defines Open Source” — has issued what it hopes will become the baseline definition. That definition, which includes the ability to “use the system for any purpose and without having to ask for permission,” excludes a lot of AI platforms that currently describe themselves as “open,” many freely available only for non-commercial use. OSI’s remaining three parameters involve the ability to inspect the system and modify and share it. Continue reading OSI Aims for Industry Standard by Defining ‘Open Source AI’

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek have joined forces to express displeasure with the European Union’s regulations on artificial intelligence, claiming they are suppressing innovation. That is the opposite of the stated goals of EU lawmakers in passing the regulations. In a joint statement first published in The Economist and then on the Meta and Spotify websites Friday, the duo took aim at alleged EU obstruction to the development of open source AI, suggesting that Europe’s “fragmented regulatory structure, riddled with inconsistent implementation, is hampering innovation and holding back developers.” Continue reading Meta, Spotify Issue Statement Criticizing EU’s AI Regulations

Stability AI has added another audio product to its lineup, releasing the open-source text-to-audio generator Stable Audio Open 1.0 for sound design. The new model can generate up to 47 seconds of samples and sound effects, including drum beats, instrument riffs, ambient sounds, foley and production elements. It also allows for adapting variations and changing the style of audio samples. Stability AI — best known for the image generator Stable Diffusion — in September released Stable Audio, a commercial product that can generate sophisticated music tracks of up to three minutes. Continue reading Stability AI Releases Free Sound FX Tool, Stable Audio Open

Google has established the Open Usage Commons (OUC), an organization that will host the trademarks of three of its own most important open source projects as well as assist other open source projects manage and enforce their trademarks. Google has a vested interest in helping the open source software community; its Android operating system and Chrome web browser are both open source and the company relies on third-party open source software. The Open Usage Commons aims to create clearer guidelines and enforcement procedures for open source projects’ trademarks. Continue reading Google Organization Plans to Support Open Source Projects