US Congress seeks to counter China's dominance in open-source AI models

The US Department of Commerce will be tasked with identifying barriers to the adoption of American open-weight artificial intelligence models and tracking how their use compares with Chinese alternatives under legislation that advanced in Congress. The Open-Source AI Leadership Act, H.R. 10152, introduced last week, also directs the department to publicise risks associated with using Chinese open-source models as part of an effort to establish American leadership in an area where China currently dominates.

Push to counter Chinese open-source dominance

The bill was among several China-focused proposals marked up in the US House of Representatives amid escalating technology competition between the two countries. Congressional committees mark up proposed legislation by reviewing it line by line, debating its merits and voting on changes or amendments before deciding whether to send it for a full House or Senate vote.

Open-weight, or open-source, models are AI systems released freely over the internet that allow users with the necessary hardware to download and customise them. Most leading Chinese AI models are released as open-weight systems, while prominent US models including OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude remain mostly closed-source, accessible only through official channels.

The legislation seeks to promote adoption of US open-source models while highlighting risks tied to their Chinese counterparts as Washington looks to compete in a field where Beijing has gained ground.

Source: South China Morning Post