Abstract
Amid rapid advancements in generative AI (GenAI) tools, individuals and organizations—including both professional and amateur developers—are actively sharing and collaboratively developing GenAI code on open-source platforms, driving the adaptation and creation of new applications. However, it remains unclear whether such collaboration disrupts existing technological hierarchies or reinforces them; addressing this question is crucial for assessing the democratizing potential of open-source practice and informing policies for equitable innovation. Drawing on world-systems theory, we examine owner-contributor networks in ChatGPT-related GitHub repositories since ChatGPT’s launch in late 2022, complemented by qualitative content analysis of major repository themes and code functions. We find that peripheral countries are increasingly leveraging regional collaboration to challenge established power centers. This study illuminates evolving patterns of global collaboration and innovation. Copyright 2025 Authors.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 39-58 |
| Journal | Human-Machine Communication |
| Volume | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
Funding
This project is partly supported by the Start-up Grant for New Faculty of City University of Hong Kong (Project number: 7200790) granted to the corresponding author (XZ).
Research Keywords
- world-systems theory
- technological hierarchies
- open-source platforms
- global collaboration
- Generative AI
- social network analysis
- GitHub
- ChatGPT
- AI and media innovation
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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