Open Source at the Crossroads of AI Opportunity and Cybersecurity Necessity

Each year, Open Source Summit North America, hosted by the Linux Foundation, brings together people from around the world to learn, connect, and collaborate. As a Research Mentee, I had the amazing opportunity to attend this conference and see firsthand the relevance and impact of what our team has been working on. Here’s what I learned.

First, and something that hadn’t really struck me until I attended this conference, was the sheer importance of events like this for the open source community. In a world where collaboration, relationships, and trust are everything, events like this that allow people to connect in person and build relationships are the engine that drives open source development around the world. And, as one might imagine, in a world where relationships and connection are so crucial, the community is extremely welcoming. As someone who went in knowing very few people, it was seamless to walk up to someone, strike up a conversation, and both learn and begin to build a relationship. Even the sessions, led by experts, often felt like more of a discussion than just a lecture once the floor was opened up for questions. Overall, I was super impressed by how welcoming and warm the community was.

Another takeaway for me was just how fast things are moving. The pace of innovation in open source, especially in areas like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, feels like it’s accelerating by the day. I remember hearing AI described as a bullet train to the future—a metaphor that stuck with me throughout the conference. It perfectly captured the energy in the room and the urgency that many speakers and attendees shared: this technology is moving fast, and open source is playing a central role in shaping where it’s headed.

In the context of this rapid innovation, it became clear just how important the findings of recent research are in helping the community understand and navigate an ever-changing landscape. In Jim Zemlin’s keynotes, he referenced several Linux Foundation Research reports that illuminate critical realities of the moment. The first, the Meta-sponsored Workforce & Economic Impact of Open Source AI,  explores how open source AI is contributing to the tech labor market and the broader economy. The report specifically highlights the growing prioritization of open source in the hiring process, along with the importance of the ever-increasing intersection between open source and AI.

Another was the newly published 2025 State of Tech Talent Report, released at the summit, which dives deep into how AI is impacting hiring, talent retention, and skills development. Notably, this report revealed that, contrary to popular belief, the net hiring impact of AI in tech has been positive.

Cybersecurity was also a key area of focus. With the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) on the horizon, there’s a noticeable shift in how the open source community is thinking about security and policy compliance. The CRA is pushing for stronger, more clearly defined security standards for software, and this is creating both urgency and opportunity. It’s no longer enough to simply publish open code—there’s now a responsibility to ensure it’s secure, well-maintained, and backed by sustainable practices. The Linux Foundation Research team’s Unaware & Uncertain report on CRA readiness guided many conversations throughout the conference, providing a snapshot of where organizations currently stand and what still needs to happen to meet the policy requirements.

Alongside this, the Cybersecurity Job Roles Framework was another valuable contribution, offering community-driven role descriptions that help standardize security-focused position descriptions and cybersecurity responsibilities across tech roles. Both resources shaped meaningful, solution-oriented discussions about how the open source ecosystem can proactively rise to this challenge while preserving the core values of openness and collaboration.

Another highlight was the research panel on the Open Mobile Hub Project, which highlighted how the community is working together to develop cross-platform solutions for emerging mobile systems. This discussion, rooted in previous and upcoming Linux Foundation Research studies on mobile application development from leading players like Meta and Amazon, shows how open source projects are actively driving innovation in the mobile space and shaping the technologies we rely on every day. The report itself emphasizes the growing need for interoperability among mobile frameworks in driving efficiency and innovation.

I also left with a deeper appreciation for the idea that openness extends far beyond just sharing code. It’s about creating systems, communities, and conversations where people can contribute, challenge ideas, and drive things forward together. Whether it was a keynote, a breakout session, or a hallway conversation, this theme kept coming up: the future will be built in the open.

All in all, I’m really grateful I had the chance to be part of OSSNA this year. I learned a ton, met some awesome people, and got to see firsthand how open source is constantly evolving. It was amazing to see things I’ve worked on show up in keynotes, discussions, and even hallway conversations, and how the studies from the Linux Foundation Research team are supporting a clearer view of the current and constantly evolving open source landscape.

Chase Rudin is a 2025 Research Mentee of the Linux Foundation.