Comment by Centre for Future Generations

CERN for AI’s impact must extend beyond scientific breakthroughs to deliver tangible benefits for European society, from democratizing AI capabilities to catalyzing broader technological innovation. [...] In order for Europe to successfully build on such a foundation, CERN for AI’s research must diffuse beyond the walls of the institution and out into the real world. ARPA-type organisations often achieve this by using open science and specific IP-sharing agreements with partner or spin-off companies. However, the sensitive nature of certain AI technologies demands that CERN for AI has additional tools at its disposal. One way CERN for AI’s could achieve responsible diffusion of its most advanced (foundation) models, would be through a flexible, three-stage framework, that is inspired by a recent report from the Centre for the Governance of AI on the risks, benefits and alternatives to open-sourcing in AI. Initially, the institution could prioritize open-sourcing its models, enabling smaller firms and startups to build upon its research without the burden of extensive resource requirements. [...] For models that pose too grave a risk when being open sourced, distribution could shift to a secure licensing framework. Qualified firms would gain access to model weights in exchange for program funding, enabling them to develop products and services while CERN for AI maintains its research focus. At the end of a programme’s 5 to 7-year lifecycle, the focus would shift to technology diffusion, with key breakthroughs typically being open-sourced or licensed to partner or spin-off companies, and in rare cases being offered to consumers and businesses by a dedicated product team inside CERN for AI.