Open source artificial intelligence is critical to preserving operational freedom and software independence, according to a recent manifesto by Ahmad Osman. The document argues that if AI becomes accessible only through closed institutions and subscription models, society risks losing the ability to study, build, audit, and deploy intelligence systems freely. This call to action was published on opensourceaimustwin.com in 2026.
The manifesto emphasizes that AI is a foundational infrastructure for various sectors including work, education, science, creativity, and public services. It stresses the importance of maintaining AI systems that are usable, understandable, reproducible, locally deployable, economically viable, and governed by communities. The author warns against reliance on closed APIs, remote platforms, and opaque moderation that restrict access and control to a few dominant labs and companies.
The document highlights the risks of a subscription economy for cognition, where a small number of frontier labs and platform providers control AI models. It calls for American capacity to support global open standards that enable freedom to run, inspect, modify, benchmark, teach, and preserve AI infrastructure. This approach is presented as essential to avoid falling behind in the global AI landscape and to ensure that intelligence remains a public good.
The manifesto concludes with a call for collaboration to realize open source AI's potential, inviting interested parties to contact the author directly. This initiative underscores the growing movement advocating for transparency and community governance in AI development as of 2026.