GDS weighs in on the NHS’s decision to retreat from Open Source

• The Government Digital Service (GDS) has published a guidance document titled “AI, open code and vulnerability risk in the public sector,” emphasizing the importance of keeping software repositories open by default to facilitate reuse and scrutiny.
• In contrast to previous decisions that have closed down access to open source repositories due to security concerns, GDS now recommends keeping everything open unless there is a compelling reason not to. This shift underscores their new stance on maintaining openness in the public sector.

### Takeaways
– **Default Openness**: The recommendation aligns with the principle that by default, software should be publicly accessible and reusable.
– **Balanced Approach**: GDS now advocates for a balanced approach where openness is the norm but closure is used judiciously when necessary.
– **Public Sector Leadership**: This guidance reflects GDS’s role as a leader in setting best practices for public sector digital services and how they handle security, open source, and AI.