Open Source AI’s Practicality

Nick Vidal’s presentation completely reshaped how I view open source AI. I used to think the idea of sharing all training data was overly idealistic and impractical. But his explanation that open source just means giving people instructions to reproduce the data, not handing over the raw data itself, totally changed my mind. Suddenly, open source AI feels doable, not just aspirational.

Olmo2

Let’s talk about Olmo2, a model almost as powerful as GPT-4o, but fully open source. That’s a massive step forward. It’s not just about performance, it’s about transparency and accessibility. When people like me can study, modify, and learn from these models, we’re building a future where knowledge isn’t locked behind corporate doors.

Finance and AI: A Surprising Match

What shocked me most was AI’s growing role in the finance industry, a space I thought would never take such risks. With confidential information being a concern, this was truly a shock to me. However, Nick’s presentation cleared my doubts. With the right compliance checks, fraud detection systems, and algorithmic testing, AI is not only viable in finance, it’s essential. AI can analyze transactions, forecast trends, and support better decision making. I underestimated how much the financial world stands to gain from ethical, open AI tools.

Big Tech Shouldn’t Own the Future of AI

To me, the biggest takeaway is this: AI shouldn’t be controlled by a few powerful corporations. That’s not just a technical debate, it’s a matter of equity, ethics, and representation. Open source AI means more diverse perspectives, fewer blind spots, and less bias. Whether or not every model meets OSI’s strict criteria, if it’s freely available and community based, that’s the direction we should be pushing.

Final Thoughts

The presentation didn’t just teach me about open source AI, it convinced me that this is the path forward. Not just for better technology, but for a inclusive future. We can’t afford to let AI evolve behind closed doors when we the people will be the most impacted.