AI Glossary / Open-weights model
🏗️ Models and training
Open-weights model
A model whose weights are publicly available - you can run it locally and modify it (e.g., Llama, Mistral).
An open model is one whose weights the producer has publicly released - anyone can download it, run it on their own hardware, fine-tune it and embed it in their own product. Examples include the Llama, Mistral, Qwen and DeepSeek families. Openness has degrees: "open weights" means available weights, but not necessarily training data or full license freedom. For companies, open models mean control over data and costs; for the whole industry - pricing pressure on closed giants and faster progress thanks to community work.
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