The Synthetic Source License (SSL) is designed to address the evolving landscape of software development where both human and machine-generated (AI) contributions are integral to project success. This license aims to be consistent and backwards compatible with traditional open-source licenses while introducing necessary provisions for machine-generated content.
- Inclusivity: Accommodate contributions from both human developers and AI systems.
- Transparency: Ensure clear attribution of contributions.
- Modifiability: Allow for the modification and redistribution of AI-generated content.
- Ethics and Accountability: Provide guidelines to ensure ethical use of AI-generated content.
- Both human developers and AI systems can contribute to a project.
- Contributions are logged with metadata indicating whether they were generated by an AI or a human.
- Every contribution, whether from an AI or a human, is tagged with relevant metadata.
- The metadata includes information such as the AI model/version used, the human contributor’s details, and timestamps.
- This ensures accountability and allows for auditing of AI contributions.
- Users are free to modify AI-generated content.
- Modified content must include an attribution to the original AI system and human contributors.
- A change log should be maintained for transparency, similar to traditional open-source practices.
- Contributors must ensure that AI-generated content complies with ethical guidelines.
- Projects must include a code of ethics for AI use, ensuring no harm, bias, or misuse of AI-generated content.
- Regular audits and reviews of AI contributions to ensure compliance with ethical standards.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this license, each contributor hereby grants to any recipient of the work a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the work and such derivative works in source or object form.
- The source code of the project, including AI-generated content, must be made available in a repository.
- All modifications must be documented and attributed.
- AI-generated content must be clearly identified in the source code repository.
- Metadata for AI contributions should include details about the AI system (e.g., version, parameters, etc.).
- Recipients are free to modify AI-generated content under the condition that they provide attribution to the original AI system and human contributors.
- Redistribution of modified content must retain the same license and include proper attribution and metadata.
- Projects must include a code of ethics specific to AI contributions.
- Ethical guidelines should address issues such as bias, fairness, and transparency in AI-generated content.
- Regular audits of AI contributions should be conducted to ensure adherence to these guidelines.
Subject to the terms and conditions of this license, each contributor hereby grants to any recipient of the work a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this section) patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the work, where such license applies only to those patent claims licensable by such contributor that are necessarily infringed by their contribution(s) alone or by combination of their contribution(s) with the work to which such contribution(s) was submitted.
In no event and under no legal theory, whether in tort (including negligence), contract, or otherwise, unless required by applicable law (such as deliberate and grossly negligent acts) or agreed to in writing, shall any contributor be liable to you for damages, including any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages of any character arising as a result of this license or out of the use or inability to use the work (including but not limited to damages for loss of goodwill, work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or any and all other commercial damages or losses), even if such contributor has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
While redistributing the work or derivatives thereof, you may choose to offer, and charge a fee for, acceptance of support, warranty, indemnity, or other liability obligations and/or rights consistent with this license. However, in accepting such obligations, you may act only on your own behalf and on your sole responsibility, not on behalf of any other contributor, and only if you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold each contributor harmless for any liability incurred by, or claims asserted against, such contributor by reason of your accepting any such warranty or additional liability.
- Create a repository for the project that supports SSL.
- Ensure the repository infrastructure can handle metadata for AI contributions.
- Develop and publish clear guidelines for contributors on how to log AI-generated content.
- Provide tools or templates for documenting contributions and metadata.
- Optionally Establish an ethics review board to oversee the implementation of ethical guidelines.
- Conduct regular audits and reviews of AI contributions.
- Foster a community that values transparency, accountability, and ethical use of AI.
- Encourage discussions and contributions to improve the SSL framework.
- Provide education and training materials for contributors to understand the SSL.
- Offer workshops or webinars on ethical AI practices and contribution guidelines.
The Synthetic Source License (SSL) is a forward-looking approach to integrating AI contributions into open-source projects. By building on the principles of traditional open-source licensing and addressing the unique challenges of AI-generated content, SSL aims to foster innovation, transparency, and ethical use of AI in software development.