AI increases review burden on underfunded open-source projects

Six authors in a report for the Technology Policy Council ACM warn that AI tools quickly write code and find vulnerabilities, but humans must still review them. Many open-source projects are underfunded: the Apache Software Foundation raised $2.38 million in 2024 versus $292 million for the Linux Foundation.

• AI speeds up coding and vulnerability discovery, but review falls on maintainers
• Without open source, companies would spend 3.5 times more on software, per HBS estimate
• Apache Software Foundation raised $2.38 million in 2024, less than 1% of Linux Foundation
• Most open-source applications do not release SBOMs despite US and EU requirements