Amid the Open-Source AI Debate, America Needs a New Theory of Technological Power
A piece in Just Security argues that traditional tools like export controls are no longer adequate for managing AI competition between the U.S. and China, and that America needs a fundamentally different framework for thinking about technological power in the open-source AI era.
Why this matters: Export controls assume you can keep a technology contained. Open-source AI breaks that assumption. Once a model is released, it spreads. That is the whole point. So the old playbook, built around controlling who gets access to what, does not fit the situation anymore. The real debate is about what leverage actually looks like when the thing you are trying to control is already everywhere. How governments answer that question will shape AI policy, trade rules, and civil liberties for years.
Who should care: General readers · AI governance · Policy
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