Open Source AI Fellowship

About

The Open Source AI Fellowship is a two-year program designed to advance understanding of Open Source AI by conducting original research, measuring trends, and building community consensus around what it means for an AI system to carry the Open Source label.

Grounded in OSI’s new partnership with Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, the fellowship will advance OSI’s goals by creating opportunities for principled, evidence-based, and stakeholder-driven engagement on salient issues in Open Source AI. 

Activities

Fellowship activities include, but are not limited to:

• Thematic Workshops and Working Sessions: Hosting multi-stakeholder workshops focused on: (a) understanding the impact of the Open Source AI Definition, including an exploration of potential updates or revisions, (b) the role of Open Source software in sovereign tech and the AI stack, (c) evolving definitions and policy implications of Open Source AI, and (d) expanding awareness of Open Source solutions to foster access to AI and digital public goods.
• Development of a Global Research Agenda: Growing our partnership with Open Forum Europe, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Digital Infrastructure Insights Fund to build the Open Technology Research Network, established in November 2025. 
• Policy and Research Analysis: Tracking global AI policy and governance developments, mapping their alignment, and divergence from OSAID principles.

Fellows

Gabriel Toscano, Open Source AI Fellow  

Gabriel is a technologist and policy researcher focused on advancing digital technologies in the public interest. As the inaugural Open Source AI Fellow, he focuses on Open Source and AI governance, technology policy, and aligning policy design with engineering practices. Gabriel holds a Master of Public Policy from Duke University and degrees in software development and philosophy. His sociotechnical research has been featured in the MIT Science Policy Review, Stanford Trust & Safety, and at various academic and Open Source conferences.

Mentors

Katie Steen-James, Senior US Policy Manager  

Katie joined OSI after leading policy and advocacy for SPARC, a nonprofit coalition working to implement open access and open education policies in North America. Before SPARC, she was a federal relations officer at the Association of American Universities where she advocated for federal research investments and developed programming and positions on open research data issues. Katie brings 10 years of experience in government relations and policy analysis and a commitment to educating policymakers about the benefits of open.

Sponsors

We are grateful to Duke University, with launch sponsorship from Automattic, AWS, Google, Mozilla, and Red Hat for making this work possible. Organizations interested in supporting the fellowship should contact OSI Executive Director Duane O’Brien at [email protected].

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