Terminology on this site
In the Leaderboard.cn interface, “open” is shorthand for “open weight”. It is not equivalent to open-source software, nor does it mean that we have determined a model meets any particular open-source AI definition.
How to read the labels
- “Open”
- The publisher makes downloadable model weights available to the public, allowing them to be run under the applicable license terms. “Open weight” is the more precise term.
- “Closed”
- The publisher does not make downloadable model weights publicly available, so the model is generally accessed through an API or hosted product. This does not imply that its paper, code, or all other materials are private.
To keep rankings, filters, and charts compact, the site continues to use “open / closed” as short labels. When model availability or licensing matters, use the complete definitions above.
What open weights do not imply
Model weights are parameters produced by training. Being able to download them does not automatically mean the development process or terms of use are open. An open-weight model may not provide:
- training data, or enough information to explain its sources, filtering, and processing;
- the complete code and configuration used for data processing, training, evaluation, and inference;
- a license permitting every use, modification, and redistribution;
- the intermediate artifacts and documentation needed to reproduce training or audit the model’s provenance.
Why this differs from open-source software
Open-source software centers on access to source code in a form suitable for modification, with license rights to use, modify, and redistribute it. Model weights are closer to an output of the training process; final weights alone generally cannot reconstruct the training data, training code, or complete method.
The Open Source Initiative’s Open Source AI Definition 1.0 considers data information, training and runtime code, model parameters, and the freedoms to use, study, modify, and share. Publishing weights alone is therefore not enough to establish that a system meets the definition.
How to use these labels
The labels describe only whether the publisher makes model weights publicly available. They are a coarse browsing aid, not a legal opinion, openness score, or licensing conclusion. Before deploying, fine-tuning, commercializing, or redistributing a model, check the license shown on its detail page and consult the publisher’s model card and original license text.