Open Source and Public Policy: A Conversation with Deb Bryant

Deb Bryant discusses her career journey and the significant role of open source software in public policy, particularly in the US and Europe. She highlights her work with the Open Source Initiative, Oregon State University, and Red Hat, emphasizing the importance of open source in government operations and cybersecurity. Deb also addresses the challenges and evolution of open source policies, the critical need for sustainability in open source projects, and her current focus on AI's impact on the ecosystem. She concludes by advocating for harmonized international regulations and human-centered AI approaches.

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Government and Open Source Software

01:38 Experiences in the Private Sector

02:14 Open Source in Public Policy

04:31 Cybersecurity and Open Source

07:42 Sustainability in Open Source

15:05 Future of Open Source and AI

18:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Guest:

Deb Bryant, Director, US Policy and Founder, Open Policy Alliance Open Source Initiative

Throughout her career, Deborah has lent her voice to supporting open source projects and developers, building bridges between academia, industry, non-profits, and government along the way. Today she provides guidance to open source foundations seeking to support public policy development in open technology domains. She has worked in emerging technology and has been an advocate of free and open source software and the community that makes it so since the 1990s.

Deborah is board director emeritus at the Open Source Initiative (OSI); serves on the DemocracyLab board; serves on the advisory boards of Open Source Elections Technology Foundation and the OASIS Open Project, and as an advisor to the Brandeis University Open Technology Management program. She also represents OSI as a member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance. For eight years prior to her reentry into the nonprofit world, she led one of the world’s largest open source program offices (OSPO) at Red Hat where her global team was responsible for the company’s strategy and stewardship in open source software communities. While at Red Hat she served on the Eclipse Foundation board for two years.

Deborah’s published academic research includes the Use of Open Source in Cybersecurity in the Energy Industry and Collaborative Models for Creating Software in the Public Sector.