Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta urge US to avoid restrictions on open AI models

A coalition of 25 technology companies, including Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, and Palantir, signed a public letter on Friday urging the Trump administration to avoid premature restrictions on open-weight AI models. The letter argues that such restrictions would stifle competition, drive innovation overseas, and undermine U.S. leadership in the global AI race Source: SCMPSource: Fox Business.

The letter's arguments

The letter emphasizes that open-weight models—which allow developers to download and customize underlying parameters—accelerate innovation, strengthen cybersecurity, and enable sovereignty. The signatories call for a 'strong, open ecosystem' rather than broad bans, and ask policymakers to address concerns about intellectual property theft through targeted legal frameworks rather than sweeping restrictions Source: Fox BusinessSource: Tom's Hardware.

Context and disagreements

The push comes as the Trump administration weighs sanctions on Chinese AI developers like Moonshot AI, accused of distilling U.S. models. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested possible sanctions for improper distillation, while the letter distinguishes between unlawful extraction and legitimate open development Source: Tom's HardwareSource: CNA. Notably absent from the signatories were OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, highlighting a divide between companies favoring open models and those with proprietary systems Source: Fox BusinessSource: Tom's Hardware.