Stratechery's Thompson: U.S. Cedes AI Openness to China

Ben Thompson published a piece on Stratechery laying out a specific critique of U.S. AI policy. He argues the current approach, which restricts open-weight model developers under the Fable and Sol frameworks, is handing China a strategic advantage.

Thompson ties China's push for open AI directly to its dominance in physical-world industries. Open models, he wrote, let China benefit from global innovation while feeding its lead in robotics.

The policy response Thompson recommends is clear. Loosen Fable and Sol restrictions on cybersecurity. Put U.S. open-weight model makers on an equal footing with China. He dismissed complaints from frontier labs as self-serving. Let the frontier labs win by being better, he wrote. Don't let them pull up the ladder of humanity's collective knowledge.

Thompson wrote that the U.S. is already hard enough to compete with. Letting China carry the standard for openness and innovation is giving away the country's biggest advantage, he wrote.