How do you build visibility through open source contributions?[D]

I’m an MSc CS student with a background in 3D computer vision, trying to figure out how to build visibility and credibility in the AI/ML community. I’ve been thinking about contributing to established open source projects rather than building standalone GitHub projects. Honestly, the latter feels like a weaker signal nowadays, especially with AI tools making it easier than ever to build things. For those working in 3D CV, ML or applied AI, how would you approach this? What are the current challenges for new contributors, and how do you find projects where meaningful contributions can actually get noticed? Would be interested to hear about your experiences.