OSI says Meta's LLaMA 2 isn't actually open source

When Meta launched Llama 2 with models ranging from 7B to 70B parameters, the tech world hailed it as an open-source triumph against closed-source giants. But the original guardians of the software movement just stepped in to spoil the party.

The Open Source Initiative (OSI) issued a direct challenge to Meta, stating that the company is actively misusing the term open source. According to the organization that maintains the Open Source Definition (OSD), the Llama 2 license simply fails the test.

The strings attached to free weights

The issue comes down to sovereignty and restrictions. Under the OSD, open source requires granting everyone the right to use software for any purpose, without discrimination against fields of endeavor or commercial scale.

Meta placed notable boundaries on Llama 2. Paragraph two of the Llama Community License Agreement imposes commercial restrictions, while the accompanying acceptable use policy bans deployment in areas like critical infrastructure and regulated substances.

While restricting sensitive applications sounds responsible, the OSI argues it violates foundational principles. The organization pointed to the Linux kernel, which succeeded globally precisely because it never limited usage, finding its way into life-saving medical gear, airplanes, and rockets.

AI research collective EleutherAI echoed the criticism on July 21. While applauding Meta for releasing its most permissive license yet, the group publicly stated that Meta is spreading misinformation by branding Llama 2 as open source.

Wrestling over the definition of open AI

This dispute exposes an uncomfortable gap between traditional code licensing and modern machine learning.

Founded in 1998, the OSI has regulated source code for decades. Large language models introduce a different beast altogether, relying on training data, model architectures, and billions of trained weights that do not fit neatly into old legal buckets.

To settle the confusion, the OSI has launched a multi-stakeholder process featuring webinars, community meetings, and deep reviews. The group plans to present an official release candidate for the Open Source AI definition on October 17.

Why it matters

For everyday developers, Llama 2 remains a game-changer. Regardless of whether the license satisfies the OSI, you still get access to powerful 7B to 70B models that can replace costly closed-source APIs for most everyday use cases.

However, we think Meta's branding strategy walks a dangerous line. Meta wants the goodwill, community bug-fixing, and developer mindshare that comes with the open-source banner, yet it retains competitive safeguards and usage restrictions.

It looks like the tech industry has reached a breaking point with open-washing. If every mega-cap tech company can redefine open source to match its corporate risk tolerance, the term loses its legal and philosophical teeth. The OSI draft arriving in October will likely force everyone to finally pick a side.