"With AI, cloud is no longer just about reducing costs"

Gone are the days when IT decision-makers saw the cloud as a cost-efficiency tool. With the arrival of artificial intelligence, CEOs are now looking at the cloud to create value. OSFY’s Yashasvini Razdan spoke to Dr Amruta Joshi, Director, AI Solutions, Google Cloud, at Open Source India last year to understand how developers and enthusiasts can leverage open source to navigate through this rapidly evolving landscape....

- Yashasvini Razdan

Amruta Joshi,

Director, AI Solutions, Google Cloud

Q What does open source mean for Google Cloud's AI strategy?

A. Open source is a core component of our strategy, and Google Cloud remains highly committed to it. We've developed a series of products that actively support open source, such as GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine), which facilitates numerous open source deployments. Open source is indeed a top priority for us, and we're dedicated to supporting open source ecosystems in every way possible.

Q What, according to you, are the emerging trends in this open source AI landscape?

A. I'd identify three major emerging trends in this open source AI landscape. The first is the rise of open-weight models. These models are being launched every month and are attracting substantial interest and providing more flexibility for users. Examples include Gemma and other community-driven models, including a time series model recently launched by Google Research.

The second trend is the growth of community-driven platforms, which are making collaborative AI development easier and more widespread. In addition to Google Cloud's open source community, platforms like GitHub and Hugging Face are fostering collaborative efforts to push the boundaries of open source innovation.

The third trend is the increasing focus on responsible AI within open source. The AI community is dedicating a lot of thought to ethical deployment, emphasising that as AI evolves, responsible practices should develop alongside it to ensure safe and fair use of these powerful technologies.

Q How has cloud technology evolved from a customer's perspective?