Senator Jim Banks Pushes Trump to Support Open-Weight AI Models Over Chinese Alternatives

Republican senator urges Trump to back US open-weight AI models amid industry debate

WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Jim Banks is urging the Trump administration to develop incentives to encourage U.S. tech companies to develop open-weight AI models, according to a letter released on Friday, adding to a growing debate over the industry's future. Open-weight models are AI systems with publicly accessible core elements, such as Meta's (META.O), opens new tab Muse Glimmer, Nvidia's (NVDA.O), opens new tab Nemotron and startup Thinking Machines' Inkling. Users can download and fine-tune them for specific tasks, and they can be cheaper for cost-conscious customers. Closed-weight AI tools ⁠are generally regarded as more capable, and their creators retain control over their components. Key examples include OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and Google's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Gemini. Open-weight AI models from Chinese firms are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., prompting security concerns in Washington that Chinese companies could gain an edge in a segment of the AI industry. Banks, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that oversees national security issues, asked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to devise options to "limit dependence" ⁠on Chinese-made open-weight models, adding that the U.S. government must also make it harder for those firms to use American semiconductors to build their products. "America cannot afford to see Chinese open models proliferate and burrow into the global economy only ⁠to be weaponized, like rare earths, at a time and place of China's choosing," Banks wrote in a letter to Trump's economic adviser Christopher Phelan. With his letter, Banks joins a ⁠debate that has split the tech industry. Nvidia and Meta, joined by dozens of U.S. tech companies and venture capital firms, urged policymakers ⁠in July not to restrict open-weight AI, while Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has said open-weight models could present a security risk, adding it is harder to monitor their usage. Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Editing by Nia Williams Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence Courtney Rozen Thomson Reuters Courtney Rozen reports on the world's largest technology companies from Washington, D.C., focusing on the relationship between the tech industry and the U.S. government. She reported on DOGE and the federal workforce during the first year of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term. Prior to joining Reuters, she was a White House correspondent at Bloomberg Government. She graduated from American University with a master's degree in journalism. Contact: [email protected]

Sen. Jim Banks urges Trump to back U.S. open-weight AI models

Republican Senator Jim Banks urged the Trump administration on Friday to create incentives for U.S. tech companies to develop open-weight AI models, citing security concerns about the rise of Chinese alternatives, according to Reuters. In a letter to Trump economic adviser Christopher Phelan, Senator Banks called on the administration to devise options that would "limit dependence" on Chinese-made open-weight models. He also asked that the government make it harder for Chinese firms to use American semiconductors to build their products. "America cannot afford to see Chinese open models proliferate and burrow into the global economy only to be weaponized, like rare earths, at a time and place of China's choosing," Senator Banks wrote. Open-weight AI models make their underlying architecture publicly available, allowing anyone to download them and adapt them to particular applications. Examples include Meta $META's Muse Glimmer, Nvidia $NVDA's Nemotron, and startup Thinking Machines' Inkling. Their lower price point relative to proprietary offerings has made them appealing to buyers watching their budgets. Closed-weight models keep their internal components under the exclusive authority of their developers and are generally seen as the more powerful option. ChatGPT from OpenAI, Anthropic's Claude, and Google $GOOGL's Gemini fall into this category. Senator Banks, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which holds jurisdiction over national security policy, positioned the letter as a reaction to the expanding footprint of Chinese open-weight models in the American market. His push comes amid a broader industry debate over how policymakers should treat open-weight AI. According to Reuters, Nvidia and Meta were among a coalition that included dozens of American technology companies and venture capital investors who called on policymakers in July to leave open-weight AI unregulated.