Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft defend open-weight AI against proposed US bans

Meta, Nvidia and Microsoft have pushed back against proposed restrictions on open-weight artificial intelligence models, arguing that limiting access could slow innovation and reduce competition in the AI industry.

Tech companies made a public case to lawmakers on Friday in favor of open-source AI models, entering a new debate in the business and policy worlds over who controls the powerful technology.

A coalition of 25 major technology companies, venture capital firms, and foundations including Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, IBM, Dell Technologies, and Palantir—signed an open letter urging U.S. policymakers not to restrict or place premature limits on "open-weight" AI models.

In a letter posted on X and also signed by two dozen companies and groups including Meta Platforms and IBM , Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said that lawmakers should avoid "premature restrictions on open models that stifle competition or drive innovation overseas."

The joint statement, titled "Open Weights and American AI Leadership," was published as Washington debates national security measures against foreign competitors and high-capability Chinese open models like Moonshot AI's Kimi K3.

The letter directly challenges the idea that closed models are inherently safer. Supporters of restrictions have raised concerns about potential risks linked to widely available AI models, including misuse, security threats and challenges in controlling advanced technologies.

The debate comes as governments around the world consider how to regulate rapidly advancing AI systems while balancing innovation with safety measures.

Industry leaders argue that open-weight systems can help startups, researchers and smaller companies compete with major AI firms by lowering barriers to developing AI-powered applications.

Open weights also allow a broad global community of researchers to examine model behavior, identify vulnerabilities and build safeguards, avoiding single points of failure inherent in closed-source systems.

Meta, Nvidia and Microsoft have maintained that responsible development of open-weight AI can strengthen the broader technology ecosystem and support progress in areas such as research, enterprise applications and AI infrastructure.

The document explicitly compares today's open-model debate to the 1980s open-source software movement, arguing that open ecosystems are what secured long-term American tech dominance.

The letter follows recent warnings from U.S. officials regarding covert model "distillation" and IP (Intellectual Property) theft.

In response, the coalition argued that while open weights carry distinct risks, prohibiting them is the wrong policy response and would only drive innovation overseas.

Notably, Closed-model leaders OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google did not sign the open letter.