While open source software has had a particularly strong impact in the UK, the country risks losing its prominent position in the global ecosystem, according to a new report from OpenUK.
Governments in France and Germany have expanded their investment and support for open source software development and contributions, meaning the growth of AI projects and companies in France has pushed the UK down the list.
If the UK wants to keep up, it must not only continue supporting open source software development, but also ensure that policies reflect a true understanding of open source software’s nuances in governance, community engagement, and market impact.
"The UK has contributed a huge amount to the technologies and infrastructure that underpin today’s economy. But markets do not stand still - other countries in Europe have increased their level of investment and incentives, putting the UK’s leadership position in jeopardy in future," said Amanda Brock, CEO at OpenUK.
"In our report, we detail the considerations to be dealt with for the new UK government to support open source more effectively generating better returns on investment from any new projects, whether those are public sector organizations using open source or releasing new software as open source for others to use and importantly ensuring its adoption and maintenance."
This, Brock noted, is particularly important for public sector AI developments that aim to deliver on digital public good goals.
More generally, there needs to be a commitment from both public and private sectors to support open source foundational communities, invest in its infrastructure, and foster policies that embrace the open, collaborative nature of open source software.
It’s not all bad news for the ecosystem, however. The report from OpenUK specifically highlighted some good moves showcasing innovation and best practices in open source.
These include the UK AI Safety Institute’s Inspect Testing Platform, which supports AI safety testing and collaboration among researchers, with an open source model that encourages more widespread participation and reduced barriers to entry.
Standardizing healthcare records with OpenEHR using open source also reduces the fragmentation of healthcare data, OpenUK noted, helping improve global research collaboration and overcomes potential data siloes or lock-in.
The British Library has adopted an open source and open standard approach to make collections more accessible for researchers, it said, while BT Group and Canonical are using open source to modernize and innovate around 5G networks, based on the telco-grade distribution of OpenStack to deliver a software-defined network.
The challenges, according to the report, include opening up the market - particularly in the NHS, where large, closed contracts have tended to be awarded to a small number of providers.
UK open source needs to go global
An area of particular concern highlighted by OpenUK included international markets, where the UK ecosystem is failing to leverage its substantial skills.
Mike Bracken, founding partner of Public Digital noted that accepting supplier conditions “would make mafiosi blush”.
Meanwhile, public data sets - land registries, health data and geo-spatial data - are locked in siloes without common standards or reasonable market access.
"As open source software reshapes industries, it also presents challenges that require careful governance and regulatory understanding,” said Dr Jennifer Barth, research director at OpenUK and Founder of Symmetry.
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“Unlike proprietary software, open source software operates through open licensing, decentralized contribution, and community-driven management, which can create complexity in legal and operational standards.
Looking ahead, Barth said driving successful open source software adoption will be “contingent on comprehending the interplay of governance, technology, and community”.
“For legislators and market participants alike, a nuanced understanding of open source software is essential, as this ecosystem relies on transparency, the protection of intellectual property, and an ethos of equitable use.”
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