Open Source Code Resists Big Tech Data Enclosure
July 24, 2026
From Vancouver city council elections and British Columbia data center disputes to global data collectives, communities and developers are bypassing proprietary AI monopolies through open-source infrastructure and cooperative governance. Meanwhile, divergent state strategies across Beijing, Washington, and Tokyo reveal how compute centralization and aging demographics collide with the push for shared computational sovereignty.
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China Is AI-Maxxing
Beijing may be closing the gap with Washington in the AI race.
- geopolitics
- structural power
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Japan’s AI gamble: Can technology offset the cost of an ageing society?
From underground networks to emerging AI start-ups, Japan is testing whether its greatest issue can be an opportunity.
- geopolitics
- structural power
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Why state-owned AI won’t solve inequality
Government ownership of AI companies may promise shared wealth, but it risks weakening oversight and accountability.
- AI governance
- media and technology
- geopolitics
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Fed up with Big Tech, communities turn to data collectives for control
Data collectives and cooperatives, which let creators control the collection and distribution of their data, are emerging as preferred alternatives to big tech companies.
- AI governance
- media and technology
- geopolitics
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Silicon Valley Is Completely Divided Over Chinese AI
The AI “startups” worth billions of dollars are raising alarm bells about Chinese AI. The smaller players have a totally different take.
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‘We Want a Role’: Who Gets a Say in AI Adoption?
Data centres could be a top concern in the upcoming Vancouver election, a city council candidate says.
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Welcome or Not? BC Communities Plot How to Tame Data Centres
From Terrace to Kamloops, AI proposals have sparked questions from locals and calls for new rules.
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What is open-source AI? A software engineering researcher explains
Open-source AI models allow anyone to read their inner workings like a book. Utamaru Kido/Moment via Getty Images You’ve probably heard artificial intelligence models described as “open” or “closed.” These are not descriptions of the model’s personality. Large language model AIs like the one under t…
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