APEC Nations Back Open-Source AI with 'Strong Security'

Twenty-one APEC member economies, including the U.S. and China, have released a "Chengdu statement" on artificial intelligence. This statement emphasizes respect for security, data protection, and intellectual property rights, while also calling for support of open-source development. It specifically backs models and projects that use strong security assurance throughout development and deployment. This reflects a shift in open source, moving it toward more state oversight. China has been leading recent open-source AI development, and Chinese companies offer free-to-use open-source models, unlike some U.S. companies. This statement is the first to include open-source cooperation at a minister level. All parties acknowledge AI risks and encourage dialogue across government, private sector, and academia to share information on cybersecurity and other issues. This agreement suggests a move towards building open ecosystems that are trusted enough for governments and businesses to use.