How It Works
Open Source vs. Open Weight
An open-source AI model has its code, weights, and typically training data publicly available; an open-weight model releases only the trained weights (so anyone can download and run it) without necessarily disclosing the code or training data behind it — a meaningful distinction often blurred in casual use.
Origin · no single documented coiner
The “open weight” distinction emerged through 2023–2024 licensing debates involving the Open Source Initiative, researchers, and model releasers; it was not coined by one person.