What Is Open-Weights AI?

Kate Conger, Mike Isaac and Meaghan TobinOpen weights in AI refer to the public release of the numerical calculations that govern how AI models operate, allowing users to modify and adapt the AI for specific purposes.Leading AI companies like OpenAI keep their models mostly closed due to safety and business concerns, while others argue open weights encourage innovation and security through wider scrutiny.China's tech sector embraces open-source AI, releasing powerful models publicly, which challenges US dominance and intensifies debates on AI openness and regulation in Silicon Valley.Silicon Valley has been embroiled in a pitched battle over how artificial intelligence software should be created.Some have said AI models should be “closed” because they are too powerful and dangerous to be developed openly.Get unlimited access to exclusive stories and incisive insights from the ST newsroom