Policy or Community?: Supporting Individual Model Creators' Open Model Development in Model Marketplaces

2026-02-22

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenges individual model creators face in open model markets, where risks such as generating harmful content and copyright infringement persist despite existing platform policies and tools that inadequately support responsible development. Through semi-structured interviews with 19 creators and subsequent thematic analysis, the research identifies three core governance needs and reveals that responsible AI tools are primarily leveraged for self-protection and enhancing visibility. Notably, community norms—rather than formal platform policies—more profoundly shape creators’ sense of responsibility. The findings underscore the necessity for platform governance to integrate community dynamics and individual motivations, offering a novel perspective for cultivating a more effective responsible AI ecosystem.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Computational Creativity
• Humans and AI: AI for Accessibility

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Technology governance, policy, and regulations
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Trust and reliance of crowd workers and data experts on GenAI
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization

Abstract

Lightweight fine-tuning techniques and the rise of 'open' AI model marketplaces have enabled individuals to easily build and release generative models. Yet, this accessibility also raises risks, including the production of harmful and infringing content. While platforms offer policies and responsible AI tools, their effectiveness may be limited, as creators engage with partially open models that vary widely in openness and transparency. To understand how platform governance can better support responsible practices, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 individual model creators. We identified three regulatory needs shaped by creators' workflows: reducing downstream harms, recognizing creators' contributions and originality, and securing model ownership. Creators also repurpose RAI tools primarily for self-protection and visibility, and their sense of responsibility is deeply shaped by community norms rather than formal policies. We argue that platforms' governance decisions must consider how policy interventions shape the practices and motivations of individual creators.

Problem

• model marketplace
• individual model creators
• responsible AI
• platform governance
• open models

Innovation

• model marketplaces
• individual creators
• responsible AI
• platform governance
• community norms