Danish physicist Niels Bohr is often quoted as saying “Prediction is difficult, especially about the future.” While it might be hard to make accurate guesses about what is coming up, looking ahead at customer demand and trying to forecast future market trends can help you stay ahead of the competition in your market. These predictions are also part of the general approach to stories that we all as humans respond to.

The world of open source is no exception to this, and it is worth looking at how open source might change in the future starting now. The use of open source has increased steadily and is now responsible for running much of the digital infrastructure we use daily. In fact, in Ashnik’s 2023 open source survey 96% of participants stated that the usage of open source software will only increase in their organizations in 2023-24.

As one of the leading contributors towards the open source ecosystem, we help organizations all around the globe understand and harness the full power of open source solutions and services and we’ve seen several trends emerge in our work with clients over this past year.

We believe these 5 trends mentioned below will take center stage and play a critical role in transforming our industry and world in 2024 and beyond.

Up-and-Coming Trends in the Open Source Landscape with Artificial Intelligence Applications

1. Extensive Integration of AI & ML In Open Source Initiatives: The open source community was on board with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in 2023. AI and ML tools play a crucial role not only in software development projects but also in any task requiring learning, problem-solving, strategy and decision-making.

The CEO of a leading tech giant mentioned that artificial intelligence could be the most profound technology in human history, even more so than fire and electricity. Both small and large enterprises acknowledge the significant potential of AI and have made AI adoption a strategic initiative of their business objectives. AI adoption in open source is rapidly growing and has gone mainstream. We’ve already seen Google using AI for image and speech recognition tasks. Facebook has also unveiled an open-source machine-learning library called PyTorch. Some of the factors that are contributing to the rapid growth of AI, are the massive increase of data and information. The democratization of pre-trained machine learning (ML) models is another factor. ML models, especially large language models, were previously out of reach to organizations without the time, money, and expertise to invest in developing them – but all that has changed now that pre-trained models are readily available. Access to the computing power needed to run these pre-trained models is also key, and the cloud has made computing and running ML models more attainable and affordable.

2. A Greater Focus On Security: Security was a top priority in 2023 for many enterprises, according to Ashnik’s open source survey report, 30% of participants highlight Security Concerns as the top challenges organizations face while accelerating the usage of open source in their organizations. We expect security to continue to be a top priority in 2024 as well and believe many organizations will invest in dedicated teams focused on securing their open-source assets. AI-driven application security is on the rise, viewed either as a cybersecurity solution or a tool for hackers. Its impact on open source software development and security is undeniable. Use cases include AI detecting patterns to identify and address vulnerabilities in code, though establishing trust remains a challenge. Developers leverage AI, like GitHub’s Copilot, for automated code development, which saves time but introduces security and compliance concerns. Despite challenges, the limitless benefits of AI-powered security are apparent. Starting this year there may be resolutions to outstanding issues and an influx of AI tools dedicated to bolstering software security.

Open source is everywhere. Open source is ubiquitous and permeates nearly every critical technology we depend on, making proper security and privacy even more vital. When networks worldwide use the same open-source code, one vulnerability could collapse innumerable systems across the globe.

For security and workability, a priority for the open-source community must be in finding ways to maintain popular projects better — namely, paying open-source maintainers well enough to commit to this type of work long-term. Industry collaboration will be essential for tackling security challenges, and we envision security teams will be collaborating even more closely with the open-source community in 2024 and beyond.

3. Data Privacy and Ethics: The rise of open initiatives for data privacy and ethical standards is evident, with AI implementation raising legal and ethical challenges. Open-source software is central to these discussions, as much of the data used to train ML models is derived from such projects. This prompts questions about intellectual property and licensing, pondering compensation for OSS creators.

The EU, prioritizing Digital Sovereignty, aims to build a digital economy aligned with its values. Establishing a unified data market ensures competitiveness and data control. Embracing open-source software

The EU will fully embrace open-source software as the best means of building this digital future. The EU is actively involved in projects like the Cross Federation Services Components , Eclipse Dataspace Component , and Tractus-X , with expectations of accelerated progress in 2024.

The ongoing debate on data legality and ethics in AI open source use may take time to resolve. However, it is unlikely to hinder the widespread interest and adoption of AI and ML tools in open source and beyond.

4. Increased Corporate Support: Technology companies (both large and small) are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the open-source community on their entire ecosystem. This recognition of open source’s importance is already leading to increased initiatives and sponsorships aimed at supporting open-source creators. One of the most notable ones is GitHub’s Accelerator program, launched in April of 2023. The 10-week program provided selected open-source projects with funding and guidance.

In 2024, there is expected to be an upswing in the embrace of open-source AI, as a considerable portion of organizations express intentions to incorporate an open-source large language model. This inclination stems from an increasing acknowledgement of the strategic significance AI holds, contributing to the refinement of operational processes, the cultivation of novel customer interactions, and the development of revenue channels.

5. More Companies with Open Source Program Offices ( OSPOs): Open Source Program Offices (OSPOs) are cross-functional teams within companies that are responsible for how their companies use open source. They create strategies and policies to ensure their company’s open-source strategies and protocols are more efficient and less risky.

Expect a significant increase in the prevalence of OSPOs in 2024 and beyond. Ashnik’s 2023 Open Source survey underscores this trend, with 49% of organizations planning OSPO implementation for structured open-source adoption in 2023-24. The Linux Foundation’s research reveals that while OSPO adoption is prominent in technology firms, its prevalence extends to diverse sectors such as education and the public domain.

In tandem with AI, OSPOs play a pivotal role in aiding developers, technical personnel, procurement, and legal teams in selecting and deploying apt open-source tools & methodologies. Additionally, an OSPO serves as a valuable resource for staff education, fostering a culture of transparency and accountability during the development of internal tool stacks.

Conclusion:

Open source is the future of technologies and along with the power of artificial intelligence, it is our new digital ecosphere. Together they will continue to transform the way we build software, collaborate on projects, and solve urgent world issues. If we want to be a part of tomorrow’s innovations, let’s embrace open source today, join its global developer community, and together build the solutions we all need that are assisted by Generative AI.

Join the conversation, share your insights, and let’s collectively envision and build the world of Open Source with Generative AI in 2024 & beyond.

As a trusted leader in providing enterprise open source solutions and services, Ashnik is committed to helping businesses navigate and capitalize on these changing transformative digital trends, ensuring that businesses are well-equipped to thrive in the era of open-source AI. Talk to our experts here for a consultative solution.