Speaker: Dr. Lucas Lasota (Researcher, Weizenbaum Institute of Berlin; Lecturer, Humboldt University of Berlin)

Lecture Overview: More than 90% of all software produced in the EU contains open source components. Raised from a timid utopian idea, open source software dominates the digital world, laying down the basis not only for traditional software development, but also to Artificial Intelligence. Although open source software has not been in the regulatory agenda around the world, recent developments in AI and cybersecurity has put this concept in the central of regulatory attention. However, due to the distributed and decentralized way open source is developed and distributed, several regulatory challenges emerge for traditional law making. Defining "open source AI" has proven to be difficult, as AI encompasses not only software but also data.

Dr. Lasota’s highly interesting lecture contextualized open source software from a regulatory perspective in the European Union, in particular the Artificial Intelligence Act and the Cyber Resilience Act. After the initial remarks, attending faculty and students engaged in about 45 minutes of Q&A and discussion.