Michael Schiffer argues that the U.S. government’s approach to technological competition relies on outdated assumptions about controlling access to critical technologies. He contends that China has surpassed the United States in open-source AI model downloads on platforms like Hugging Face, demonstrating that export controls alone cannot determine AI leadership. Schiffer advocates for a strategy emphasizing ecosystem advantages, including universities, talent attraction, and research partnerships, rather than restricting open-weight AI development, warning that such restrictions could redirect global innovation toward Chinese models.
