Open source software underpins much of the modern digital world, from mobile phones and automobiles to cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Now, the rapid adoption of AI is creating new opportunities to improve that software while placing growing pressure on the people responsible for maintaining and securing it, according to a new TechBrief from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Technology Policy Council (TPC).
“ TechBrief: Artificial Intelligence’s Effects on Open Source TechBrief ,” examines how increasingly capable AI systems are changing the open source software (OSS) ecosystem. The authors note that AI can help identify vulnerabilities, develop patches, and accelerate software development. At the same time, those same capabilities can be used by attackers while the growing volume of AI-generated code is rapidly increasing the demands placed on project maintainers.
The economic stakes are enormous. Research cited in the TechBrief estimates that firms would spend 3.5x more on software if OSS did not exist, and puts the demand-side value of open source software to firms worldwide at $8.8 trillion.
“Open source has always depended on more than the ability to write code,” said Simson Garfinkel, Chief Scientist at BasisTech and Chair of the ACM TechBriefs Committee. “Successful projects require people to set priorities, evaluate contributions, make governance decisions, and build consensus around the needs of their communities. AI can dramatically accelerate technical work, but those decisions still require human judgment—at least for now.”
The TechBrief highlights several challenges facing the open source ecosystem as AI capabilities advance:
The TechBrief also identifies areas that warrant greater attention as organizations respond to these challenges, including:
Read the full TechBrief here .
ACM’s TechBriefs are designed to complement ACM’s activities in the policy arena and to inform policymakers, the public, and others about the nature and implications of information technologies. Earlier ACM TechBriefs have covered topics such as vibe coding, buying vs building LLMs, automated speech recognition, governmental digital transformation, accessibility, and generative artificial intelligence, among others.
About the ACM Technology Policy Council
ACM’s global Technology Policy Council sets the agenda for global initiatives to address evolving technology policy issues and coordinates the activities of ACM’s regional technology policy committees in the US and Europe. It serves as the central convening point for ACM’s interactions with government organizations, the computing community, and the public in all matters of public policy related to computing and information technology. The Council’s members are drawn from ACM’s global membership.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery , is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.