Tech Giants Push Back Against AI Curbs as China Stirs IP Theft Fears

More than two dozen tech companies—including Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI—signed a three-page letter on July 24, 2026 urging the U.S. to avoid premature restrictions on open-weight AI models. The missive, titled “Open Weights and American AI Leadership,” argues that open models let organizations download, inspect, modify, and run advanced AI on their own hardware without subscriptions or vendor lock-in. It also warns that curbs could reshape U.S. AI competitiveness for years. The letter lands amid White House claims of Chinese IP theft, including concerns about “distillation” attacks and safety feature stripping. Signatories cite open ecosystems to diffuse AI across sectors.