From Niche to Regime: Rethinking Openness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In this paper, we critically evaluate the evolving process of Open Education (OE) amidst the ongoing proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) framework developed by Geels (2002) is utilized in the present analysis of contemporary calls for “openness” in AI, with a focus on the concepts of democratization, cost-effectiveness, sustainability and decentralization. Moving beyond a binary framing of openness as either commercialized or emancipatory, the analysis conceptualizes openness as a contested imaginary shaped by a diverse array of actors. Furthermore, we aim to draw parallels with historical OE and Open Science (OS) developments and identify recurring socio-technical challenges. The analysis conducted reveals a persistent disconnection between landscape aspirations, niche innovations, and unruly educational regimes. It is argued that the readjustment of these levels necessitates a robust theoretical and philosophical foundation for imaginaries of ‘openness’, through which strategic investments in open infrastructure and context-specific policy development can be applied. The paper offers a more balanced and theoretically grounded framework for rethinking openness in the age of AI by integrating critiques from the state-led instrumentalisation of openness.