Open-source AI gaining popularity among young developers

A recent survey from Stack Overflow has highlighted a significant trend in the developer community with open-source AI gaining increased traction, especially among younger developers.

The survey, which engaged over 1,000 developers globally, revealed that 82% of participants have some degree of experience with open-source AI.

This trend is notably prominent among the 25-34 age bracket, where 60% reported extensive engagement. Furthermore, 71% of developers who have been in the field for less than five years indicated familiarity with open-source AI, suggesting that it is becoming integral to the skill set of newer developers.

Among the open-source AI models, GPT-4o, DeepSeek, and those from Gemini were most recognised. Interestingly, two out of these top models are open-source, underlining their growing significance among developers. For those developers who are not currently using open-source large language models (LLMs), Nova Pro by Amazon and other open-source options like Jamba, QwQ, Phi-4, and Mistral Large 2 compose the top five models for awareness.

Analysis by experience segment shows that developers with 0-5 years in the field are most familiar with models like DeepSeek (an open-source model) and Google's proprietary models.

Those with more experience, specifically between 5 to 15 years, showed higher familiarity with models such as GPT-4o (33%), DeepSeek V3 (31%), and o1 (31%).

When the developers were asked to rank different AI models, lesser-known models such as Claude Sonnet and o1 received high average normalised ranks, despite having lower overall awareness. Conversely, Gemini models, despite their higher awareness, ranked consistently lower. This points to the nuanced value recognition for certain models within the developer community.

The survey shed light on developers' trust in open-source AI, particularly for personal projects and learning applications, with 66% rating it highly.

Despite proprietary AI models receiving a 52% trust rate for personal and learning uses, they inspire less confidence in strategic or development contexts. Open-source AI does present security concerns for 44% of respondents, while 48% do not perceive it as a major issue.

Erin Yepis, Senior Analyst, Market Research and Insights at Stack Overflow, stated: "Open-source AI is rapidly becoming a cornerstone for developers, especially those early in their careers.The high trust in open-source models for personal and learning projects underscores the community's confidence in these tools. As the technology evolves, we expect its adoption to continue growing, driven by the next generation of developers."

This survey highlights the rising importance and growing confidence in open-source AI among developers.

As technology continues to progress, its adoption is anticipated to increase, primarily driven by the enthusiasm and engagement of early-career and younger developers.