The open-source AI boom is built on Big Tech's handouts. How long will it last?

Companies like Google--which revealed at its annual product showcase this week that it is throwing generative AI at everything it has, from Gmail to Photos to Maps--were too busy looking over their shoulders to see the real competition coming, writes Sernau: "While we've been squabbling, a third faction has been quietly eating our lunch." Greater access to these models has helped drive innovation--it can also help catch their flaws. AI won't thrive if just a few mega-rich companies get to gatekeep this technology or decide how it is used. But this open-source boom is precarious. Most open-source releases still stand on the shoulders of giant models put out by big firms with deep pockets.