How Open Source and AI Support Sustainable Business Models: Insights from Freelock

Freelock’s John Locke published an in-depth blog post exploring how sustainable business practices intersect with AI and open source software. The article critiques the dominance of venture capital-funded tech giants and advocates for business models centred on ownership, transparency, and community-driven innovation. Locke argues that open source tools—like Drupal, NextCloud, and LedgerSMB—offer long-term stability and user control compared to commercial platforms that prioritise investor returns over user needs.

Locke emphasises that while maintaining open source systems demands responsibility and technical upkeep, it also empowers businesses with adaptability and independence. Freelock itself uses and supports a full stack of open-source alternatives for CRM, collaboration, file sharing, and accounting. The post discusses how this strategy contributes to a healthier tech ecosystem, less prone to vendor lock-in or abrupt service changes imposed by large corporations.

On AI, Locke cautions against the hype but acknowledges its value in tasks like summarisation, translation, and audio processing. He highlights the growing ecosystem of open-source AI tools that integrate with platforms like Drupal. Importantly, Locke underscores the importance of ethical and sustainable AI use, advocating for human oversight and privacy-preserving self-hosted models. The post ultimately positions Drupal as a strong candidate for running specialised, open, and responsible AI applications within a sustainable business framework.