Unbundling AI Openness: Beyond the Binary

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of openness in artificial intelligence, introducing the concept of 'differential openness'.

In this episode of Interpreting India, host Shruti Mittal, research analyst in the Technology and Society Program at Carnegie India, speaks with Chinmayi Sharma, associate professor of law at Fordham Law School and nonresident fellow at the Stoss Center, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Atlantic Council. Together, they explore the evolving and often misunderstood debate on openness in artificial intelligence. Drawing from her forthcoming paper, Unbundling AI Openness, in the Wisconsin Law Review, Sharma explains why the traditional “open versus closed” framing oversimplifies the reality of modern AI development. She introduces the concept of “differential openness,” a framework that views AI systems as composed of multiple interdependent components—each existing along its own spectrum of openness and carrying distinct implications for innovation, safety, democratic accountability, and national security.

People in this episode

Guest: Chinmayi Sharma

Topics covered

• artificial intelligence
• openness
• law
• technology

Keywords

• AI
• democratic accountability
• national security
• innovation
• safety

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Unbundling AI Openness: Beyond the Binary, Interpreting India, Unbundling AI Openness

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