Open Source Models

What it is

Open source models are AI models whose weights are publicly released for anyone to download, use, and modify. Examples include Llama, Mistral, and Falcon. Unlike proprietary models, you can run these locally, fine-tune them, and inspect how they work.

Why it matters

Open source models offer privacy (data never leaves your machine), customisation (fine-tune for your needs), and cost savings (no per-token fees). They're also essential for research and transparency. The trade-off is usually capability—open models often lag behind closed frontier models.