Should AI development be open source or closed?
In the Season 1 finale of the TechSurge podcast, Slate Technologies’ CTO and UN Senior Fellow Senthil M. Kumar joins host Michael Marks for a compelling conversation on one of AI’s most pivotal questions: Who should control tomorrow’s intelligence? The episode, titled “Open vs. Closed AI: Risks, Rewards, and Realities of Open Source Innovation,” explores the ethical, economic, and geopolitical implications of how we build and who controls AI.
What they cover
After DeepSeek showed the world you don’t need a data-center the size of a city to reach GPT-4-level smarts, Senthil and Michael broke the debate down into five plain-spoken truths:
- Small Models, Big Impact DeepSeek’s lean, budget-friendly model hit GPT-4-level results. The lesson? Smart design can beat sheer size, opening the door for smaller teams to play in the big leagues.
- Hybrid Openness Wins Forget “all open” vs. “totally closed.” Senthil backs a tiered approach: share the safe building blocks so ideas bloom, but keep the most powerful tools behind checked-in access.
- Trust Needs Accountability Transparency is great, but it’s not a free pass. Real openness comes with usage rules, third-party audits, and ethics woven in from day one.
- Open and Closed Co-evolve Closed labs spark eye-popping breakthroughs; open communities spread and improve them. That creative tug-of-war keeps progress humming.
- Global Rules, Local Realities Europe, Singapore, and the U.S. are each testing their own playbooks. No one’s nailed it yet, but clearer standards and cross-border teamwork are inching us toward a safer, more trusted AI future.
Why this conversation matters
“The legacy of AI won’t be written in lines of code—it will be written in how we choose to lead and who we choose to empower.”
Senthil M. Kumar
CTO, Slate Technologies
As AI shifts from technological artifact to geopolitical infrastructure, openness isn’t a mere engineering choice, it’s a question of power, equity, and public trust. This episode offers a pragmatic path forward: innovation that’s fast and responsible.
Watch The Full TechSurge Podcast Episode
Further Resources
- LinkedIn Announcement
- TechSurge Podcast Website: Episode Summary
- LinkedIn blog deep-dive by Celesta Capital
- Learn more about Slate Technologies