Is AI Saving Open Source Or Just Using It?

People keep saying that AI helps developers get more done. But few are asking who pays for the computing power, tokens, and time needed to keep the open-source projects behind AI running. Node.js maintainers often use their own servers, patch together free subscriptions, and struggle to get access to the latest models they need to strengthen the core infrastructure that supports the AI industry. So who ends up paying for all this? In this episode of The Node (and more) Banter, Luca Maraschi and Matteo Collina talk about their daily work with the latest models like Fable, Grok 4.5, and Codex, and what it really takes to run agents for a large open-source project. They discuss seeing 20-30% performance gains in Node.js micro-benchmarks with Fable, leaving tmux sessions running for months, and facing the tough fact that Node.js still can't access the advanced cybersecurity models it needs for protection. In this episode, we cover: ✅ How Matteo uses Fable with Claude Code's slash goal operator to deliver real performance improvements to Node.js, and where it still falls short ✅ The difference between short-context laptop agents and long-running server agents, and why your MacBook isn't the right place for the latter ✅ The open source compute problem that often gets overlooked: who pays for the tokens and machines when most maintainers are volunteers? ✅ Why Matteo can't use Fable to strengthen Node.js against security threats, and what it means that Node.js isn't included in Project Glasswing The takeaway? AI is bringing new life to open source contributions in ways that would have seemed impossible just two years ago. But it's also creating a new kind of inequality, dividing projects that have access to the latest models from those that do not. Node.js is used in almost every AI product available today. At the very least, the industry should give its maintainers the tools they need to keep it secure.