Interesting writing. But my concern is that social responsibility will be dumped by the cost factor as he said. Anything that is GPL is under threat by an AI-based reimplementation. The cost of doing that seems artificially low now (investment hype phase, not ROI phase of these businesses), so it’s not really the idea anyone could do it that concerns me. The concerning part is no matter the price, bigger companies can take the hit and now direct their resources to undo the GPL everywhere and simultaneously replace labor in doing it.

This analysis is spot-on. I especially think you’re onto something with your reference to the commons. (Edit: The generative AI movement could be a seen as a modern reincarnation of enclosure)

These guys think of a commons in a sense of ownership: if I own something, I can do whatever I want with it.

But the real historical examples of a commons are more like a mutual obligation. It’s a relationship, not a delivery of inert goods. Yes, you get access to the benefits of the commons, but that comes hand-in-hand with accepting the duty to care for the commons as an ongoing entity.

That’s what really irks me about all of this. They didn’t “steal” something. They killed a collective organism.