Every modern company is embracing artificial intelligence. But are you using AI in a way that is taking privacy, transparency and environmental impact into account? At GreenPT, we care about these things. That’s why we embrace open source AI. We’ll tell you all about it.
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The difference between closed source and open source software
Let’s start with the difference between open source and closed source when it comes to AI. Closed source means that the software hides its source code. You interact with a polished interface, but can not see how the AI models actually work.
With closed source, you are asked to trust the provider without being able to verify anything yourself. You can not see how the data flows through the system, it might be uncertain if your data is protected and you probably won’t know how your usage impacts the environment.
With open source, the source code is publicly available. This means that developers, researchers and organizations can inspect, analyze and even modify the software. You get access to the AI models, frameworks and details regarding implementation.
The transparency of open source enables a global community to collaborate, improve and adapt the software to specific needs. Instead of being a black box, open source is a shared and inspectable technology. This allows for more privacy and transparency.
The risk of using AI without considering privacy
Whenever people start using AI for the first time, they are likely to be unaware of the risk of closed source platforms. But that doesn’t mean the risks are not there. Let’s take a closer look.
Unclear destinations of data
When using closed source AI, it is often uncertain where prompts, files and responses actually go. Data might me routed through multiple cloud services or stored in regions outside the European Union. This poses a threat to following local privacy regulations.
Unknowns about acces rights
Who can access your data? Closed source providers might allow internal teams, contractors or even third parties to view logs and conversations. This poses all kinds of risks when it entails confidential information. With closed sound, there is less control.
Undefined retention of data
How long is your data being stored? Many AI platforms are not very clear about this. Prompts and files might be retained for debugging, analytics or improvement of the models. Sensitive information might be exposed for a long time because of these rules.
Using your data for training
When you enter specific data for your organization in closed source AI, the system might start using this information when it answers prompts from other people. This uncertainty is unacceptable for companies that are meant to deal with privacy delicately.
Why open source AI matters for privacy
Using open source AI is the way to solve these problems. With correct configuration and responsible use, open source provides the transparency that is required and allows for improved practices regarding privacy.
The ability to ask and verify
When using open source AI software, users can ask concrete questions and verify the answers. For example: are chats used for training? Where are logs stored? And which parameters control the retention of data? Access to source code allows for factual answers to these questions.
Options regarding hosting and restriction
Many open source AI models can be hosted on dedicated servers. This supports data sovereignty and allows organizations to keep their data with in their jurisdiction. This power means that you have more control over security and compliance.
The ability to track data flows
With open source frameworks, you can trace how your data moves through an application. It allows developers to analyze the steps of the process from input to output. They can also adjust settings to align with the preferred usage.
Open source gives you control, transparency and choice
Beyond the aforementioned benefits, open source gives you many more options. Ultimately, it helps you to rely on a system that you can trust. Let’s talk about some more benefits.
Transparency about updates
With open source software, you get direct access to the source code and change logs. You can see how updates affect the functionality and matters such as privacy and environmental impact. This keeps you aware of all ongoing developments.
The benefit of community audits
Open source projects usually have a global community supporting it. Developers and researchers continuously review how the platform performs. This scrutiny helps the identify and openly discuss privacy or security issues.
Adaptation to internal policies
Open source AI can be adapted and customized in many ways to match the needs for your specific organization. For example, you can change logging behavior, encryption standards or the duration of data storage. This gives you the flexibility you need.
Freedom from expensive licenses
Closed source AI tools usually come with expensive licenses. When using open source AI, things are much more affordable. It allows for a broad audience to work with advanced AI and saves funds that can be used elsewhere.
Practical situations that show benefits of open source
Ultimately, AI should make things easier, more effective and more advanced. Let’s look into a couple of examples of the benefits of embracing open source AI in real-world scenarios.
Handling customer data with care
Perhaps a team within your organization works with customer records to gain more insight into certain patterns. This requires strong guarantees regarding privacy. Open source AI allows for inspecting data in an responsible manner in a controlled environment.
Creating drafts without concerns
Whether you are generating reports, designs and something else: when prompting, we entrust our ideas to AI. Open source AI reduces the risk of our products and drafts to end up in external training sets or unknown databases.
Developing custom tools
Open source language models can be integrated into custom applications. Usually, they use familiar programming languages. This flexibility supports innovation without ever sacrificing the control you need.
Scaling in a responsible way
When using closed source AI, scaling can be hard. With open source, you are a flexible as your organization requires. You will not get locked into a single vendor or end up with an opaque infrastructure. You can always build upon your own systems.
GreenPT is open source and that’s better for everybody
At GreenPT, we embrace open source. Everything we do is built upon principes that address both privacy, transparency and sustainability. We don’t ask users to trust a black box. Instead, we emphasize inspectability and responsible use.
Our models are open source and self-hosted
We use two self-hosted models: Mistral mini for our GreenL service and OpenAI’s GPT-OSS 120B for our GreenR service. Both models are open source and run on our sustainable infrastructure. This makes sure that you can inspect everything.
We ensure compliance with European regulations
Our infrastructure is hosted by Scaleway in France, ensuring compliance with European data and privacy regulations. Their data centers are fully certified with ISO 27001 and powered by 100% renewable energy, maintained through regular audits.
We fully comply with GDPR requirements
We implement strict data protection measures and fully comply with GDPR requirements. All data is processed within the EU, and we maintain transparent data handling practices. Our self-hosted model approach means your data never leaves our secure infrastructure.
Want to know more about GreenPT?
We invite you to try GreenPT for yourself. Dive into our documentation, read about our policy regarding privacy or create an account for a free trial with no strings attached.
