The Waymo effect: how AI is quietly making research less collaborative

The article explores the 'Waymo effect,' a phenomenon where the commercialization of AI research is leading to a decline in open scientific collaboration. As companies like Waymo and other major AI labs prioritize proprietary advantages, the culture of sharing breakthroughs, datasets, and methodologies is increasingly being replaced by secrecy. The author argues that this shift threatens the pace of innovation, as researchers are no longer able to build upon each other's work as freely as they once did. By prioritizing competitive moats over the open-source ethos that previously defined the field, the industry risks creating silos that hinder collective progress. The piece calls for a re-evaluation of how research is conducted and disseminated, suggesting that the current trend of 'closed' AI development may ultimately stifle the very advancements these companies aim to achieve, potentially leading to a stagnation in fundamental scientific discovery.