The author argues that instead of rejecting the use of free and open source software (F/OSS) in training large language models (LLMs), developers should focus on ensuring that the models produced from their code are also free. This perspective emphasizes evolving licensing to protect collective contributions against exploitation by corporations.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is exploring the implications of large language models (LLMs) on free software licensing, particularly regarding copyrightability and potential licensing issues of LLM-generated code. In a recent session, FSF representatives discussed the challenges posed by non-free models and the necessity for metadata and transparency in code submissions. The FSF is currently surveying free-software projects to better understand their positions on LLM output and is considering updates to the Free Software Definition rather than a new GPL version.