FSE 2026
Sun 5 - Thu 9 July 2026 Montreal, Canada
Wed 8 Jul 2026 11:50 - 12:10 at MB 3.445 - Empirical 1 Chair(s): Jaydeb Sarker

The last decade has seen widespread adoption of Machine Learning (ML) components in software systems. This has occurred in nearly every domain, from natural language processing to computer vision. These ML components range from relatively simple neural networks to complex and resource-intensive large language models. However, despite this widespread adoption, little is known about the supply chain relationships that produce these models, which can have implications for compliance and security. In this work, we conducted an extensive analysis of 760,460 models and 175,000 datasets extracted from the popular model-sharing site Hugging Face. First, we evaluate the current state of documentation in the Hugging Face supply chain, report real-world examples of shortcomings, and offer actionable suggestions for improvement. Next, we analyze the underlying structure of the existing supply chain. Finally, we explore the current licensing landscape against what was reported in previous work and discuss the unique challenges posed in this domain. Our results motivate multiple research avenues, including the need for better license management for ML models/datasets, better support for model documentation, and automated inconsistency checking and validation. We make our research infrastructure and dataset available to facilitate future research.

Wed 8 Jul

Displayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change

10:30 - 12:30
Empirical 1Journal-First Paper / Industry Papers / Research Papers at MB 3.445
Chair(s): Jaydeb Sarker University of Nebraska at Omaha
10:30
20m
Talk
From First Patch to Long-Term Contributor: Evaluating Onboarding Recommendations for OSS Newcomers
Journal-First Paper
Asif Kamal Turzo University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Sayma Sultana Tulane University, USA, Amiangshu Bosu Wayne State University
Link to publication Pre-print
10:50
20m
Talk
How to Value Open Source Contributions? An Institutional Perspective from CERN
Industry Papers
Julie Skoven Hinge IT University of Copenhagen, Micha Moskovic CERN, Axel Naumann CERN, Noemi Calace CERN, Andrzej Wąsowski IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Pre-print
11:10
20m
Talk
A Mixed Methods Study on the Implications of Unsafe Rust for Interoperation, Encapsulation, and Tooling
Journal-First Paper
Ian McCormack Carnegie Mellon University, Tomás Dougan Brown University, Sam Estep Carnegie Mellon University, Hanan Hibshi Carnegie Mellon University and King Abdulaziz University, Jonathan Aldrich Carnegie Mellon University, Joshua Sunshine Carnegie Mellon University
11:30
20m
Talk
Adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the German Software Engineering Industry: An Empirical Study
Industry Papers
Ludwig Felder Technical University of Munich, Tobias Eisenreich Technical University of Munich, Mahsa Fischer Heilbronn University of Applied Science, Stefan Wagner Technical University of Munich, Chunyang Chen TU Munich
11:50
20m
Talk
An Empirical Analysis of Machine Learning Model and Dataset Documentation, Supply Chain, and Licensing Challenges on Hugging Face
Journal-First Paper
Trevor Stalnaker William & Mary, Nathan Wintersgill William & Mary, Oscar Chaparro William & Mary, Laura A. Heymann William & Mary, Massimiliano Di Penta University of Sannio, Italy, Daniel M. German University of Victoria, Denys Poshyvanyk William & Mary
12:10
20m
Talk
An Empirical Study on Challenges of Event Management in Microservice Architectures
Journal-First Paper
Rodrigo Laigner University of Copenhagen, Ana Carolina Almeida State University of Rio de Janeiro, Wesley K.G. Assunção North Carolina State University, Yongluan Zhou University of Copenhagen