From 9 to 11 October 2024, the 6th Open Search Symposium took place at the Leibniz Data Centre in Garching near Munich. The AI Law & Data team presented the LISA and Nordlink projects together with Professor Wendland. Over 120 participants discussed technical, ethical and legal aspects of open web search. A particular focus was on the development of LLMs based on the Open Web Index, the integration of a RAG infrastructure and the ethical curation of an open infrastructure beyond large platform providers.

Minister of State Dr Florian Herrmann welcomed the return of the symposium to Bavaria and referred to the close connection between high-tech research and open internet search. In his opening speech, he recognised the Open Search Initiative as "crucial for science and research" and assured political support from the Free State of Bavaria. With an investment volume of 5.5 billion euros as part of the high-tech agenda, Bavaria is placing a strategic focus on AI and digital sovereignty - a clear message: Open Search is more than just technology, it is future policy.

Minister of State Dr Florian Herrmann welcomed the return of the symposium to Bavaria and referred to the close connection between high-tech research and open internet search. In his opening speech, he recognised the Open Search Initiative as "crucial for science and research" and assured political support from the Free State of Bavaria. With an investment volume of 5.5 billion euros as part of the high-tech agenda, Bavaria is placing a strategic focus on AI and digital sovereignty - a clear message: Open Search is more than just technology, it is future policy.

Director General Roberto Viola picked up on this perspective and took it further. In his keynote speech, he urgently warned against the risks of one-sided AI development and emphasised the importance of an open, transparent and European search ecosystem. His support for the open search community was clear: "You have worked hard - we know that and we are behind you." Viola called for alternative models to be promoted and for Europe's scientific and industrial sovereignty to be strengthened against the dominance of individual tech giants.

Together, Minister of State Herrmann and Director General Viola made it clear that an open, democratic and transparent search ecosystem is not only desirable - it is necessary. #ossym24 was therefore not only a technical, but also a political assessment and a clear commitment to openness, transparency and strategic sovereignty.