Open Future

Public AI – Open Future Examining AI policies and governance mechanisms that secure the common good, respect open-sharing, account for power imbalances and safeguard digital rights.

🕵️ Explore our Public AI page featuring our published papers, analyses, blog posts, and consultation submissions on this topic. All resources are chronologically organized and easily accessible through our timeline: openfuture.eu/our-work/ai-...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How data centre expansion risks derailing climate goals — and how to fix it. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webi... The increasing popularity of AI and other digital technologies is driving a boom in the need for data centres. AI is framed as a vehicle for progress, but its unchecked evolution also has a darker sid...

📅 Join us on Sept 16 for a webinar on how data center expansion threatens climate goals and what we can do about it. Anastasia Tsougka and Zuzanna Warso will present their findings and discuss practical EU solutions for sustainable tech development.
Register now: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Connecting the Commons: Shared Benefits for Wikimedia Commons and CommonsDB Jan Ainali from Wikimedia Sverige explains how CommonsDB could enhance Wikimedia Commons for its community of users.

🔄 CommonsDB and Wikimedia Commons: A registry of rights information for public domain images to enhance copyright verification, automate licensing processes, and improve media management across digital commons. Read/watch this take from @wikimediase.bsky.social

www.commonsdb.org/blog/connect...

A Step Forward, But Not Far Enough: the EU’s AI Transparency Template – Open Future The EU AI Office releases transparency template for AI training data—a step forward that falls short on delivering meaningful accountability. Our analysis reveals critical details missing.

Read Zuzanna Warso's complete analysis to understand this missed opportunity for creating a transparent model that could have enabled proper auditing of democratic, public interest-oriented AI systems: openfuture.eu/blog/a-step-...

The EU AI Office's new template for GPAI training content (see below) falls short on transparency. Requiring only "general descriptions" of data processing instead of detailed specifications makes it hard to audit for bias or verify proper data handling.
shorturl.at/s7Z5f

Illustration cover of the Public AI White Paper featuring Open Future's background design.

🔍 Summer dive: Imagine AI's most powerful tools in everyone's hands.
Our Public AI white paper examines how to build accessible, accountable AI systems based on transparency and fair access.
Watch the discussion and learn more: openfuture.eu/event/online...

See you in a bit #Wikimania2025

Introducing CommonsDB What could you do if you had access to a registry with all the public domain and openly licensed images in the world? Get your imagination flowing, because an ambitious project has been started and…

Our partners at @wikimediase.bsky.social present #CommonsDB - the registry for checking image licensing status – to the Wikimedia Movement. Don't miss Jan Ainali's video explaining how we use ISCC and metadata to improve digital content verification.
diff.wikimedia.org/2025/07/31/i...

Today is the big day. Wikimania 2025 is here, online and in Nairobi.

Wikimania starts today 🎉

#Wikimania2025 is bringing the free knowledge movement together online and in Nairobi, Kenya. Wikimedians are gathering to celebrate, connect, and collaborate.

Join us ➡️ wikimania.org

Thank you for sharing @erlend.sh. We really appreciate it.

Building a Common Language for the Wikimedia Movement Wikimania 2025 This session will showcase our work on developing a shared vocabulary to ensure coherence in explaining the Wikimedia project model. Led by the Wikimedia Movement Advocacy Network, we aim to strengthe...

🌐 Join us at Wikimania 2025 on Aug 7 for "Building a Common Language for the Wikimedia Movement".

A session with Catalina Frigerio Dattwyler, @bolajiayodeji.com & @alek.bsky.social to discuss how Wikimedia projects serve as digital commons & public goods.

wikimedia.eventyay.com/talk/wikiman...

Our input shaped the framework, but critical details were watered down. Key issues: ambiguous domain disclosure requirement, weak data processing transparency and a 2-year grace period for existing AI models.

A Step Forward, But Not Far Enough: the EU’s AI Transparency Template – Open Future The EU AI Office releases transparency template for AI training data—a step forward that falls short on delivering meaningful accountability. Our analysis reveals critical details missing.

The EU AI Office's Transparency Template for GPAI training content is a step forward, but falls short on execution.

Full analysis by Zuzanna Warso. openfuture.eu/blog/a-step-...

Licensing, Levies, and the Limits of Copyright – Open Future MEP Axel Voss questions his own copyright framework while offering insights on remuneration and transparency for AI.

🔍 Voss's push for "full transparency" on AI training data is vital for accountability, but reporting every interaction risks information overload. Better remuneration mechanisms could protect creators without excessive tracking: openfuture.eu/blog/licensi...

Open Future Monthly Newsletter - July 2025

📬 Our latest newsletter examines the MFF negotiations, the new European Competitiveness Fund and highlights the tension between public interest initiatives and prevailing tech hype. Read more and subscribe to receive digital commons updates directly in your inbox:

👉 mailchi.mp/openfuture/e...

Licensing, Levies, and the Limits of Copyright – Open Future MEP Axel Voss questions his own copyright framework while offering insights on remuneration and transparency for AI.

🔑 Voss's report rightly identifies how unpaid AI training creates imbalances threatening Europe's creative sector. His 5-7% fee lacks details, while a levy system could better support the entire information commons.
openfuture.eu/blog/licensi...

A First Look at the EU’s Budget Proposal and the Push for “Digital Leadership” – Open Future EU commits €51.5B to digital leadership in its 2028-2034 budget. Our analysis examines whether the European Competitiveness Fund represents a fundamental shift from market-driven innovation to…

🇪🇺 NEW: EU commits €51.5B to digital leadership in 2028-2034 budget. Does the European Competitiveness Fund signal a shift from market-driven to strategic public investment in digital infrastructure? Analysis by Zuzanna Warso here: openfuture.eu/blog/a-first...

Exploring Common Governance for Open Knowledge - Video Recording Now Available

📺 Missed our "Exploring Common Governance for Open Knowledge" event?
Watch the recording with @melissahagemann.bsky.social, @samuelmoore.org, @alek.bsky.social, and participants discussing equitable Open Access, AI in scholarship, and open infrastructure challenges.

🔗 openfuture.eu/event/explor...

⏳ We start in a couple of hours. See you soon.

Licensing, Levies, and the Limits of Copyright – Open Future MEP Axel Voss questions his own copyright framework while offering insights on remuneration and transparency for AI.

📝 Voss's draft report on copyright & AI shows irony: questions his own framework only to circle back to it. His focus on remuneration and transparency offers pathways to a more sustainable information ecosystem.

Read @paulk.bsky.social’s analysis: openfuture.eu/blog/licensi...

Looking forward to joining @samuelmoore.org & @alek.bsky.social for this discussion next week. Please join us!

Join @samuelmoore.org and the BOAI's @melissahagemann.bsky.social next Monday to discuss their work as fellows with @openfuture.bsky.social. Melissa will share insights into her research on lessons for the global 🌍transition to equitable #OpenAccess.

⏰ 5 DAYS LEFT! Join us July 14 at 16:00 CEST for expert insights on Open Knowledge governance with @melissahagemann.bsky.social & @samuelmoore.org.
Online event with introduction by @alek.bsky.social + interactive Q&A.
Register for free: openfuture.eu/event/explor...

Exploring Common Governance for Open Knowledge Infrastructures and Outputs – Open Future Online discussion featuring two of our research fellows who examine knowledge governance and commons-based approaches within scholarly communities.

🤖 How should academic communities govern AI in research? Join @samuelmoore.org on July 14 at 16:00 CEST to explore community-led approaches to the scholarly AI Commons.

Free online event - register now: openfuture.eu/event/explor...

Beyond AI and copyright – Open Future This White Paper calls for a levy on commercial AI systems to fund public infrastructures and ensure a sustainable Digital Knowledge Commons in the generative AI era.

Risks of generative #AI reshaping how societies access, produce, and value information = concentration of control over knowledge; hollowing out institutions and economies that sustain human information production via @openfuture.bsky.social

📄 "Beyond AI & Copyright" by @paulk.bsky.social examines how generative AI threatens information production while centralizing knowledge.
The solution? Public AI + a levy on commercial AI to fund creators, public media, cultural institutions & open platforms.
openfuture.eu/publication/...

Open Future Newsletter - Beyond AI & Copyright

📬 Our latest newsletter explores the intersection of generative AI and information ecosystems. It introduces "Beyond AI & Copyright," examining how AI reshapes knowledge production and access.
Want more insights on digital policy and copyright infrastructure?

Subscribe: mailchi.mp/openfuture/b...

Looking forward to this session! Through my fellowship with @openfuture.bsky.social, I interviewed #OpenAccess leaders in the Global South who are supporting equitable OA. I'll discuss lessons that can be drawn from their experiences for the global transition to equitable OA. Please join us!

Lessons for the Global Transition to Equitable Open Access to Research – Open Future Open Access has transformed research accessibility, making half of all articles freely available. However, barriers to publishing persist. This paper examines equitable solutions for both accessing an...

If you wish to dive deeper into Melissa's research prior to the event, download her paper "Lessons for the Global Transition to Equitable Open Access to Research": openfuture.eu/publication/...

Exploring Common Governance for Open Knowledge Infrastructures and Outputs – Open Future Online discussion featuring two of our research fellows who examine knowledge governance and commons-based approaches within scholarly communities.

🌍 July 14: Join @melissahagemann.bsky.social as she shares solutions for equitable Open Access publishing infrastructures.

Free online event, 16:00 CEST. Learn how the future of global knowledge sharing is being transformed.

Register: openfuture.eu/event/explor...