What open-source AI does not automatically include

What does open source include?

A great deal. Anyone may use, inspect, modify and pass on software under a recognised open-source licence, without a licence fee. Many building blocks for AI are mature and widely used: software that runs models on GPUs, interfaces, databases, sign-in services. Ready-made platforms build on them too; basebox uses vLLM and Keycloak, for example.

What open source is not: a product with commitments. The common licences Apache 2.0 and MIT provide the software “as is” and exclude warranty and liability as far as the law allows. Some projects have their own licences with conditions, such as Open WebUI with a clause on the brand name. So read the licence file before you deploy.

What is missing, and who provides it?

Task	What the software provides	What the operator adds
Warranty and liability	usually excluded	own risk or a contract with a service provider
Security updates	updates per project, at its own pace	follow advisories, test how parts work together, install
Permissions	roles and groups in individual components	permissions from your directory service consistently through to the specialist systems
Connection	interfaces and extensions	build connections in which each person sees only what they are allowed to see
Log	settings per component	a log nobody can alter afterwards, with a retention period
AI model	free choice	test models, test switching, clarify the model’s licence
Protection against manipulation	depends on the project	checks for hidden instructions, permissions, human approval
Proof	none	DPIA, record of processing activities, TOMs, software bill of materials
Support	community, without commitment	contact person, cover, response time
Training	project documentation	AI literacy measures under Art. 4 of the AI Act

Why does this only show up later?

A pilot usually runs with a few people, sample data and a committed colleague who knows everything. The missing parts only matter once real data is meant to go in: then data protection, information security and the staff council ask about permissions, logs and documents. And when that colleague goes on holiday, it becomes clear who else knows how things work. See the guide bus factor.

Which obligations stay with the operator?

• Data protection: Whoever uses the AI is the controller. They need a record of processing activities (Art. 30 GDPR), appropriate technical and organisational measures (Art. 32) and, for sensitive data, usually a data protection impact assessment (Art. 35). See DPIA for AI.
• AI literacy: Art. 4 of the AI Act requires measures for staff who work with AI, regardless of where the software comes from.
• Information security: Self-built AI belongs in your own ISMS and, where NIS2 obligations apply, in risk management. See ISO 27001 and NIS2 for self-built AI.
• Liability: Whoever builds an AI environment from open-source components may count as a manufacturer themselves. See Liability: open-source build or purchased platform?

The Cyber Resilience Act provides separate, lighter obligations for stewards of open-source projects (Art. 24). For the organisation that assembles and runs the components, this changes nothing about its own tasks.

When is building it yourself still the right choice?

When a team carries the tasks in the table permanently, for example in research or in a data centre with its own platform team. When very specific requirements cannot be met by any ready-made product. Or when the AI serves only a few specialists who need no connection to specialist systems. The guide TCO comparison compares the costs of both routes.

How does this work with basebox?

basebox includes the parts from the table: permissions from your directory service, connectors with each person’s own access, an audit log that cannot be altered, updates and support in the licence, and the data processing agreement, TOMs and agreement under § 203 StGB (German Criminal Code, professional secrecy) to download. Customers see the software bill of materials (SBOM) in their basebox; before purchase, we send it on request. Booked training sessions also cover AI literacy under the EU AI Act. If basebox becomes insolvent, the code will be published as open source so that customers can keep working.

Not legal advice: This guide gives an overview, as of 11 October 2026. Which obligations apply to your organisation depends on how you use AI and on your contracts.