Unlocked.2023 _top_

In the digital realm, “unlocked” has a more literal meaning: the freedom to use hardware and software without manufacturer restrictions. The right-to-repair movement gained unprecedented momentum in 2023, with laws in the European Union and several U.S. states forcing companies like Apple and John Deere to provide repair manuals, spare parts, and diagnostic tools to consumers. Farmers can now unlock their own tractors’ software to fix a glitch without a costly dealership visit, and smartphone owners can replace batteries without proprietary screwdrivers.

Several key trends and technologies are driving the concept of unlocked.2023: unlocked.2023

Artificial Intelligence models are also getting into the act. The open-source AI boom of 2023 (Llama 2, Mistral) proved that "unlocked" AI—where you can see the weights and run the model locally—will beat proprietary, locked AI (GPT-4) in the long run because the community can audit and improve it. In the digital realm, “unlocked” has a more