This article critiques the Open Semantic Interchange (OSI) initiative, highlighting its missteps in establishing effective open standards. Key issues include a lack of community involvement, poor governance, and failure to acknowledge existing systems, which undermine trust and participation.

The current landscape of semantic layers in data management is fragmented, with numerous competing standards leading to forced compromises, lock-in, and inefficient APIs. As LLMs evolve, they may redefine the use of semantic layers, promoting more flexible applications despite the existing challenges of interoperability and profit-driven designs among vendors. A push for a universal standard remains hindered by the lack of incentives to prioritize compatibility across different data systems.