Episode 258: Devin Stein on using AI to maintain OSS with Dosu

Guest Devin Stein Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes In this
episode of Sustain, host Richard Littauer talks with Devin Stein,
CEO and Founder of Dosu. Today, they discuss the challenges of
sustaining open source software, the role of AI and LLMs (Large
Language Model) in automating support and maintenance, and the
ethical considerations surrounding AI usage. Devin explains Dosu's
approach to creating a living knowledge base to assist engineering
teams and open source maintainers. Also, the conversation dives
into how Dosu interacts with users, maintains quality control, and
addresses the environmental impact of AI. Hit download now to hear
more! [00:01:43] Devin discusses Dosu’s purpose which helps
engineering teams’ software by structuring engineering knowledge
into a knowledge base, and the tool supports open source by
addressing common questions, triaging issues, and identifying
project ownership. [00:02:46] We hear about how Dosu uses LLMs to
create a “living knowledge base” that supports open source
workflows, such as issue resolution and knowledge sharing.
[00:04:48] Devin explains that Dosu is focused on automating
support tasks, not generating code directly, and he fills us in the
user base and funding. [00:06:17] Devin tells us that revenue comes
from platform teams and open core companies using Dosu internally
and through a per-seat pricing model. [00:08:03] We learn how Dosu
aims to reduce maintainer burnout by handling repetitive inquires,
allowing maintainers to focus on unique issues. [00:10:38] There’s
a discussion on users’ positive reception to fast responses via
Dosu and how Dosu aims to assist, not replace maintainers,
providing first-pass answers or guidance. [00:12:00] Richard
expresses a “net positive” sentiment but admits to initial
scepticism about GitHub Actions and automation in open source.
Devin shares a similar story of entering open source for community
interaction, initially contributing through GitHub, and receiving
positive feedback. [00:14:49] Richard inquires about managing
customer expectations for accuracy and Devin acknowledges the
challenge and explains that Dosu is designed to adapt by learning
from past issues and solutions, and how human-in-the-loop workflows
help maintainers refine Dosu’s responses. [00:18:19] A question on
ethical and legal use of LLMs is brought up, as Devin hopes for
more transparency and alignment on LLM licensing and legal
frameworks in the future. [00:21:14] Devin explains that Dosu’s
knowledge base will soon be accessible, providing transparency for
users and maintainers about its data sources. [00:24:49] Richard
questions about how AI companies are ensuring their models don’t
reinforce these biases and asks about measures in place to improve
AI responses. Devin emphasizes their approach to LLMs, which
focuses on treating the AI as a tool rather than imitating human
behavior. [00:26:55] The topic of addressing human elements and
consistency is brought up and Devin explains that Dosu’s design
keeps responses consistent and supportive, and maintainers and
users can provide feedback and adjust responses to align with
community needs. [00:31:23] Devin talks about Dosu’s strategy
focusing on helping become contributors without taking over human
roles in open source, and maintainers still have the primary role
in guiding substantial project changes or complex contributions.
[00:33:34] Devin acknowledges the environmental concerns around AI
usage and hopes for more sustainable practices and optimizations in
the future. [00:34:30] Find out where you can follow Devin and Dosu
online. Spotlight [00:34:59] Richard’s spotlight is Avatar: The
Last Airbender. [00:35:25] Devin’s spotlight is sqlc. Links
SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/) podcast@sustainoss.org
(mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org) richard@sustainoss.org
(mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS Discourse
(https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Devin Stein LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/devstein/) Devin Stein X
(https://x.com/devstein64) Devin Stein GitHub
(https://github.com/devstein) Dosu (https://dosu.dev/) SOPS
(https://github.com/getsops/sops) Sustain Podcast-Episode 61:
Melissa Logan on Marketing Open Source Effectively and Sustainably
(https://podcast.sustainoss.org/guests/melissa) Maintainer.io
(https://maintainer.io/) OSS Maintenance as a Service: Helping
maintainers maintain their code by Richard Littauer
(https://medium.com/@richlitt/oss-maintenance-as-a-service-helping-maintainers-maintain-their-code-f9717e4990ad)
Open source contributor agent architecture repo-Oscar
(https://go.googlesource.com/oscar) Avatar: The Last Airbender
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender) sqlc: A
SQL Compiler (https://github.com/sqlc-dev/sqlc) Credits Produced by
Richard Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr
at Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by
DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/)
Special Guest: Devin Stein.