Is open source safer for AI, and why do you prefer it?

Yes, and especially on security. When the source is known, it can be continually checked, tested, and pen-tested, so you're actually protected against known threats. Closed source usually isn't hiding any secret worth knowing, except maybe that the code isn't as good. Open code tends to be better precisely because it's out in the open.

I've believed this since my early Linux and FreeBSD days, and AI has shown just how powerful open source really is. Someone smart called it a weapon, and that's right. The ability to build on everything that came before opens doors that closed, rented software keeps shut. I used to think I was in the minority on this. Now it's becoming the norm, and that's been a good thing to watch.