Open-Source AI Model Usage Will Double to 40% by Late 2026
Rob Walling · Episode 813 | SaaS Predictions for 2026 (+ Reflections on 2025) · Dec 30, 2025 · at 21:47
Rob Walling, startup investor and host of Startups for the Rest of Us, discusses the market share battle between closed and open-source AI models.
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“My fifth prediction is that open source AI models Will double in global usage driven by cost control and platform risk. So as of now, a working paper summarized in IT Pro says closed models are about 80% of overall usage, implying that open is about 20%, and I'm making the bold prediction that AI models will double to around 40% usage by the end of 2026.”
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