Open-weight systems—which users can download, modify and run themselves—let both the private and public sectors use AI more cheaply and efficiently, and give users more control over the technology, backers said in a letter published Friday. So far, 77 technology companies, investors and foundations have signed, including Cohere, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI. (The Logic)

Talking point: Most leading open-weight models come from Chinese developers like DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and Z.ai. Officials in the Trump administration have accused some of those firms of ripping off U.S. technology, via a process called distillation that uses the responses of advanced generative tools to train competing ones. The letter calls it a “widely used technique” that’s in line with the tech industry’s longstanding traditions, and said unlawful use should be addressed through legal means rather than restrictions. By contrast, an executive at Anthropic—which has not signed—called distillation “IP theft and industrial espionage.”