Open Source software has thrived on a simple, revolutionary premise: code is a valuable, scarce resource that is best built, maintained, and shared collaboratively. However, the rise of AI is challenging this foundation. When AI can clone, rewrite, or reverse-engineer complex codebases in a matter of days—often bypassing traditional licensing and attribution—the rules of open source are being rewritten.

This presentation explores the crisis facing open source communities and maintainers in the AI era. As AI agents increasingly consume OSS to train models and generate code, the traditional incentives for open source contribution are shifting. We will examine the core threats to the ecosystem—ranging from "shadow AI" to the erosion of traditional software licenses—while offering a pragmatic blueprint for how open source can adapt and survive.

# Key themes to be covered include:

* The Death of Traditional Licensing?

* The Contribution Crisis: Managing the influx of AI-generated pull requests and low-quality code "slop" without burning out human maintainers.

* Redefining Value: Shifting the focus of open source from the raw code itself to the unique value of human-curated communities, domain expertise, and rigorous security validation.

* The Rise of Open Source AI: How open models and tools are counterbalancing proprietary AI monopolies, and how developers can leverage them strategically.

Attendees will leave this session with a clear understanding of the evolving legal, ethical, and technical landscape of open source. By adopting new strategies for governance, community building, and licensing, open source can ensure that the movement remains the bedrock of software innovation in an AI-dominated world.