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Open-Source AI and Open Models Reading List
Hey all! I’ve been prepping for some public-audience and policy-facing writing on open models, so I figured I would share my research materials. There’s lots of wonderful stuff in here.
This is my list of the best writing on open models in the last few years. If someone decides they want to get up to speed on the area, reading this will be a comprehensive overview of the state of affairs. Please comment pieces to consider adding below, and I’ll update this over time.
What open models are, why people release them, how they relate to business strategy, and what the risks are.
On open source AI strategy, a walkthrough of how open-source software has been used by businesses and early signs of what that means for AI — From Open Source Software to Open Source Strategy, Bill Gurley (May 2026).
One of the clearest articulations is Mark Zuckerberg’s comments around Llama 3’s release as to why Meta releases open models — Open Source AI is the Path Forward, Mark Zuckerberg (Jul. 2024)
Why you should view open models on a gradient, rather than binary open/closed, based on factors such as licenses, cost of running the model, data access, etc. — The Gradient of Generative AI Release: Methods and Considerations, Irene Solaiman (Feb. 2023).
The role open models will play in the economy of the future, as a complement to strong closed models. Why open models will be used to create custom agentic workflows in enterprises across the world – What comes next with open models, Nathan Lambert / Interconnects (Mar. 2026)
A position on how open models will capture value by providing a complementary tool to large swaths of the existing economy, drawing on the history of IP and current debates on open vs. closed models (e.g. distillation) — Some Simple Economics of Open versus Closed AI, Christian Catalini (Aug. 2026)
Why open models will constantly be behind closed models in performance — Open models in perpetual catch-up, Nathan Lambert / Interconnects (Feb. 2026)
Where adoption differs for open and closed models — Open and closed models are on different exponentials, Nathan Lambert / Interconnects (Jun. 2026)