OTI Joins Civil Society Organizations and Academics in Urging the Commerce Department to Protect Open AI Models

Today, a coalition of academics and civil society organizations, including the Open Technology Institute (OTI), sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo about the importance of openness in AI models. In response to the letter’s publication, OTI, a New America program fostering equitable access to digital technology and its benefits, issued the following statement from Prem M. Trivedi, Policy Director of OTI:

Today, OTI joined 46 civil society organizations and academics in urging Secretary Gina Raimondo to protect AI openness and transparency. Ensuring that open and transparent AI models flourish is critical to developing trustworthy AI applications that bolster American innovation, global competitiveness, and an equitable AI future for all Americans.

This joint letter responds to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) request for comments about the risks and benefits of open AI models. Such a debate is timely, as there has been a rise of closed models in the United States and increased concentrations of power in the hands of a few leading companies. This trend is a cause for concern, as it risks repeating the dynamics with large tech companies we now experience. The Internet’s early, more open ethos has given way to online experiences mostly dominated by large companies and their services.

At OTI, we favor an ecosystem in which open AI models can flourish alongside proprietary ones. The comments that we will submit to NTIA this Wednesday will analyze the benefits and risks in the context of five major U.S. policy objectives: cybersecurity, foreign policy, public accountability, economic health and innovation, and community control and benefits. Although open AI models—just like closed models—present risks, the many benefits of open models play an essential role in furthering these five objectives.

OTI’s comments to NTIA will be available on our website. We look forward to continued engagement with NTIA, other executive branch agencies, and Members of Congress in developing thoughtful regulatory and policy approaches to AI governance.