Open Source Trends: Generative AI, Security, and Licensing.

Complex picture of the Open Source Software (OSS) landscape, focusing heavily on trends, risks, and challenges anticipated for 2025. Several sources highlight the growing importance of software supply chain security and the need for tools like Software Bill of Materials (SBOMs), driven partly by incidents like the XZ Utils backdoor and regulations such as the Cyber Resilience Act. The reports reveal a persistent struggle for organisations to maintain security and compliance requirements, especially concerning keeping up with updates, patches, and the widespread use of End-of-Life (EOL) software. A significant theme across the texts is the evolving nature of OSS licensing, with numerous providers moving away from traditional OSS licenses to more restrictive source-available or copyleft options (like SSPL and BuSL) to prevent cloud service providers from commercialising their work without contribution. Furthermore, the documents explore the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in coding, noting both the associated legal complexities regarding licensing and copyright, and a potential slowdown in AI hype as vendors start charging more for services.