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Democratic middle powers should jointly develop frontier AI and share its benefits globally

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Arguments for

Coalition for sovereignty

In a world of great-power rivalry and concentrated market power, supporters argue that middle powers and aligned democracies should pool research, talent, compute, and procurement to create a credible alternative to dominant actors. They say a broad coalition with shared values and complementary resources can feasibly build frontier models while protecting sovereignty, economic interests, and democratic values.

In a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice: to compete for favour or to combine to create a third path with impact. The nations that invest in their own capabilities across strategic sectors – and partner with like-minded allies – will multiply their strength.…

Mark Carney · Jun 13, 2026 · full quote
A coalition of aligned democracies, who pool research, talent, compute, and procurement power, would offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape. Canada is uniquely positioned to lead such an alliance – with proven a…

Government of Canada · Jun 8, 2026 · full quote
To guarantee access to frontier models and mitigate the risks of major power concentrations, middle powers must collaborate to form a broad coalition with shared values and complementary resources.

Yoshua Bengio · May 29, 2026 · full quote
an international advanced AI research & development partnership of AI bridge powers (1) can feasibly produce frontier AI models; and (2) is essential for safeguarding the sovereignty, democratic values, economic competitiveness and growth, technical innovation, and national secur…

A Blueprint for Multinational Advanced AI Development. · Nov 2025 · full quote
This agreement opens a new chapter in the relationship between Spain and Canada. Artificial intelligence is one of the forces that will shape competitiveness and economic sovereignty in the decades ahead, and two democracies such as ours have a responsibility to lead together, bu…

Carlos Cuerpo · May 28, 2026 · full quote
Through our strengthened AI partnership and the launch of the Sovereign Technology Alliance, Canada and Germany will deepen cooperation on digital standards and public goods, AI model development, and the safe and secure use of AI while strengthening our technological and economi…

Evan Solomon · Feb 14, 2026 · full quote

Shared safety architecture

Proponents present cooperation as essential to make frontier AI safe, secure, trustworthy, and accountable. They call for joint research, technical information-sharing, broader safety initiatives, and evidence independent of model developers so safety claims can be verified and risks addressed by design.

International cooperation is essential for capturing the opportunities, sharing the benefits and mitigating the risks of new AI technologies. Australia and Canada are working together to make sure AI is safe, trustworthy and aligned with democratic values. This MOU between Austra…

Tim Ayres · Mar 6, 2026 · full quote
This agreement with the UK reflects our shared commitment to ensuring artificial intelligence is developed and deployed safely, securely and responsibly. By strengthening cooperation with democracies, we are combining world-class expertise to understand emerging risks and keep pa…

Andrew Charlton · May 25, 2026 · full quote
Expanding access to AI compute capacity, and promoting sustainable, resilient and environmentally responsible digital infrastructure, and supporting innovators while enhancing Canada and Finland’s shared economic security and prosperity. Exploring collaboration in frontier AI mod…

Canada-Finland Joint Statement · Apr 14, 2026 · full quote
AI should become a bridge for cooperation, not a tool for division. WAICO will also help ensure AI is managed in a safe, trustworthy, and ethical manner.

Airlangga Hartarto · Jul 18, 2026 · full quote
At the Partnership on AI, we believe that no single country, government, nonprofit, nor research institution can divine on its own what safe, secure, and trustworthy AI looks like.

Rebecca Finlay · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Because we lack a unified independent evidence that is outside of the companies that are developing these models, this undermines public trust and objective accountability of these companies.

Melat Bilge Demirkoz · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Inclusive global benefits

Another line of support says AI that shapes humanity must be shaped by all humanity, not a handful of countries or companies. From this perspective, cooperation should expand access and capacity, support developing countries, MSMEs, and local languages, and help close digital divides through sustainable development.

Technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all humanity. It cannot be governed by a handful of countries or a handful of companies. Every nation needs a seat at the table.

António Guterres · Jul 17, 2026 · full quote
Advanced AI capabilities, computing infrastructure, and investment remain concentrated among a limited number of actors. Inclusive governance must ensure that all countries have the capacity and voice to shape how AI is developed, deployed, and regulated.

United Nations Resident Coordinator Office · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Therefore, ensuring equitable access to AI technologies, strengthening capacity building, and promoting international cooperation must remain at the center of our collective efforts.

Government of Tajikistan · Jul 15, 2026 · full quote
AI cooperation must deliver tangible benefits, support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), preserve local languages, and address the needs of developing countries.

Angga Raka Prabowo · Jul 18, 2026 · full quote
The dialogue was established as a UN platform involving governments and all relevant stakeholders to support international cooperation and to share lessons learned and to discuss how AI can contribute to sustainable development and actually help close digital divides.

Egriselda López · Jun 2026 · full quote
India is happy to continue sharing its DPI experience and working with partners to ensure that technology and AI become instruments of empowerment and sustainable development for all.

Harish Parvathaneni · Jun 2026 · full quote

Practical allied implementation

Supporters also emphasize concrete regional and bilateral mechanisms: joint sovereign capability, shared industrial bases, gigafactories, joint capacity-building, and collaboration with allies or European partners. They argue that coordinated infrastructure, funding, training, and business partnerships turn cooperation from aspiration into implementation.

We must also work more concertedly with allies to develop joint sovereign capability. AI development needs to be part of an economic security reset with the EU, and we need to be able to participate in the Scaleup Europe Fund.

Anneliese Dodds · Jul 8, 2026 · full quote
We want to bring our leadership in defence, tech and AI together with Europe to multiply our strengths and build a shared industrial base across our continent.

Keir Starmer · Feb 14, 2026 · full quote
An example of, of that is the joint project with Spain to receive one of the European AI gigafactories, making the Iberian Peninsula a hub for AI sustainable production and digital sovereignty.

Gonzalo Matias · Jul 6, 2026 · full quote
The Leaders further agreed to strengthen policy and regulatory exchanges to advance AI sovereignty, inclusivity, access and trustworthiness; promote AI adoption and related business-to-business partnerships; and advance joint capacity-building through skills development, training…

Australia-Canada Joint Statement · Mar 5, 2026 · full quote
Today’s Joint Declaration of intent moves the German-Canadian Digital Alliance from vision to implementation. Germany and Canada are united in our belief that responsible AI development and resilient digital ecosystems are critical to long-term economic strength. By deepening coo…

Karsten Wildberger · Feb 14, 2026 · full quote
A Democratic Technology Initiative to shape standards, align export controls and invest jointly in AI, quantum and space.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen · May 20, 2026 · full quote

Middle ground

Interoperability, not full harmonization

Some supportive voices argue that international cooperation should not force convergence for its own sake or impose one standard that could produce a lowest-common-denominator outcome or conflict with national interests. They favor interoperability across different national or regional systems through shared terminology, comparable risk classifications, controls mapping, multilingual evaluation, incident reporting, and mutual recognition.

AI governance faces much the same challenge. As AI systems increasingly operate across borders, countries will continue to develop different laws, different regulatory traditions, and different policy priorities. Harmonization is neither realistic nor entirely necessary, but inte…

World Intellectual Property Organization · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
The answer isn't convergence for its own sake. We can push too hard on one thing. But if you have one standard, you could risk a lowest common denominator outcome that can cost us the innovation system as well and might have a risk on the national interests in those sectors.

Nof Alhamli · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
Before 2027 dialogue, we should advance shared terminology, comparable risk classifications, consistent documentation, interoperable incident reporting, and multilingual evaluation methods, while building pathways towards mutual recognition of testing, auditing, and certification…

Paula Bragantes Zamora · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
The thing that we need to invest on and do as a committee here is build that meta-model that is required for the controls mapping at the lowest level, and build that knowledge graph that can then use as a basis for our interoperability models.

Syed Ahmed · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote
So I think similar work can be applied to different combinations of national or regional frameworks, and I hope we can contribute from our experience.

Yoichi Iida · Jul 7, 2026 · full quote

Insights

Across the supplied quotes, support for cooperation comes from national governments, UN officials, and policy experts rather than a single institutional camp.
The main emphasis differs between democratic-middle-power blocs seeking sovereignty and a credible alternative to dominant actors and multilateral voices stressing every country's seat at the table.
Many supporters frame AI cooperation as practical burden-sharing over compute, talent, procurement, infrastructure, training, and joint research, not just diplomatic coordination.
Safety, trustworthiness, and responsible development recur alongside competitiveness and sovereignty, showing that advocates link capability-building with governance.
Several quotes explicitly distinguish interoperability and mutual recognition from full harmonization, indicating support for cooperation without identical national rules.

The supplied quotes show strong support for joint AI development and governance among democracies, middle powers, and broader international partners. The main variation is over design and emphasis: some prioritize blocs of like-minded states building sovereign frontier capability, while others stress universal participation, capacity-building, and global benefit-sharing. Several quotes also suggest that cooperation works best through interoperable systems and mutual recognition rather than identical rules.

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Results (47 votes):

Total (47 votes)

For 46 (98%) Abstain 0 (0%) Against 1 (2%)

For (43)

Airlangga Hartarto
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, speaking on AI cooperation and international AI governance.

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votes For and says:

AI should become a bridge for cooperation, not a tool for division. WAICO will also help ensure AI is managed in a safe, trustworthy, and ethical manner.
AI Verified source (Jul 18, 2026)

added 1mo ago

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Angga Raka Prabowo
Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, speaking on international AI governance and cooperation.

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votes For and says:

AI cooperation must deliver tangible benefits, support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), preserve local languages, and address the needs of developing countries.
AI Verified source (Jul 18, 2026)

added 1mo ago

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António Guterres
UN Secretary-General

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votes For and says:

Technology that will shape the future of humanity must be shaped by all humanity. It cannot be governed by a handful of countries or a handful of companies. Every nation needs a seat at the table.
AI Verified source (Jul 17, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China.

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votes For and says:

The development of artificial intelligence should not be a solo performance by any single country but rather a symphony of global cooperation.
AI Verified source (Jul 17, 2026)

added 1mo ago

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Hun Manet
Prime Minister of Cambodia, speaking on international AI cooperation and equitable access at the 2026 World AI Conference.

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votes For and says:

As one of the first signatories to the Agreement on the Establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Cambodia stands ready to work shoulder to shoulder with China and all partners in advancing an AI future that is inno...
more AI Verified source (Jul 17, 2026)

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Government of Tajikistan
National government of Tajikistan, represented by its Minister for Economy and Trade at a UN AI-development discussion.

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votes For and says:

Therefore, ensuring equitable access to AI technologies, strengthening capacity building, and promoting international cooperation must remain at the center of our collective efforts.
AI Verified source (Jul 15, 2026)

added 16d ago

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Anneliese Dodds
UK Labour Member of Parliament for Oxford East; former Chair of the Labour Party.

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votes For and says:

We must also work more concertedly with allies to develop joint sovereign capability. AI development needs to be part of an economic security reset with the EU, and we need to be able to participate in the Scaleup Europe Fund.
AI Verified source (Jul 8, 2026) 1 of 2

added 13d ago

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Universal Postal Union
United Nations specialized agency for the postal sector, representing postal governance across 192 member states.

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votes For and says:

Without a shared governance baseline, AI in our sector might develop in proprietary and uneven ways, deepening the very divides the panel describes and leaving smaller and developing country operators behind.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Virginia Dignum
Professor of Responsible Artificial Intelligence at Umeå University; AI ethics expert

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votes For and says:

Without shared evidentiary standards and mutually recognized approaches, we risk parallel regimes that neither protect people nor allow accountability to travel with the technology.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Leonardo Cervera Navas
Director General of the European Data Protection Supervisor, speaking at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July 2026.

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votes For and says:

The unprecedented concentration of wealth and economic power that we see in the development of AI needs to be balanced with a similar concentration of state power and moral purpose and responsibility, because technology must serve mankind and not the...
more AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Melat Bilge Demirkoz
Member of the UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI; physicist and researcher.

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votes For and says:

Because we lack a unified independent evidence that is outside of the companies that are developing these models, this undermines public trust and objective accountability of these companies.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Syed Ahmed
Global systems integrator executive at Infosys, speaking on AI-governance interoperability and standards.

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votes For and says:

The thing that we need to invest on and do as a committee here is build that meta-model that is required for the controls mapping at the lowest level, and build that knowledge graph that can then use as a basis for our interoperability models.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Delegate
Yoichi Iida
Advisor at Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and visiting professor at the University of Tokyo.

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votes For and says:

So I think similar work can be applied to different combinations of national or regional frameworks, and I hope we can contribute from our experience.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Delegate
Rebecca Finlay
CEO of Partnership on AI.

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votes For and says:

At the Partnership on AI, we believe that no single country, government, nonprofit, nor research institution can divine on its own what safe, secure, and trustworthy AI looks like.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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Paula Bragantes Zamora
Costa Rican diplomat who co-chaired the UN Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in July 2026.

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votes For and says:

Before 2027 dialogue, we should advance shared terminology, comparable risk classifications, consistent documentation, interoperable incident reporting, and multilingual evaluation methods, while building pathways towards mutual recognition of testin...
more AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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World Intellectual Property Organization
United Nations specialized agency for intellectual property, speaking on cross-border AI-governance interoperability.

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votes For and says:

AI governance faces much the same challenge. As AI systems increasingly operate across borders, countries will continue to develop different laws, different regulatory traditions, and different policy priorities. Harmonization is neither realistic no...
more AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 14d ago

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United Nations Resident Coordinator Office
United Nations Resident Coordinator system, represented at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance by five resident coordinators.

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votes For and says:

Advanced AI capabilities, computing infrastructure, and investment remain concentrated among a limited number of actors. Inclusive governance must ensure that all countries have the capacity and voice to shape how AI is developed, deployed, and regul...
more AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

added 1mo ago

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Delegate
Franco Giandana Di Gena
Policy analyst at Access Now.

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votes For and says:

Finally, the current geopolitical landscape presents an opportunity for global majority regions as well as middle powers to seek and foster collaboration and join resources in an unprecedented fashion.
AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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Gonzalo Matias
Portuguese minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister and for State Reform who spoke at the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July 2026.

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votes For and says:

An example of, of that is the joint project with Spain to receive one of the European AI gigafactories, making the Iberian Peninsula a hub for AI sustainable production and digital sovereignty.
AI Verified source (Jul 6, 2026)

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Willemijn Aerdts
Dutch State Secretary for Digital Economy and Sovereignty.

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votes For and says:

Door samen met Europese partners te investeren in AI versterken we onze economie én onze digitale soevereiniteit.
AI Verified source (Jul 3, 2026)

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Tom Berendsen
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking on the Netherlands' international strategy for safe and responsible AI.

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votes For and says:

Landen die nu investeren in AI schrijven de spelregels voor de economie, veiligheid en informatiestromen van morgen. Als middelgrote open economie met een grote internationale voetafdruk kan Nederland de AI-spelregels op een verantwoorde manier helpe...
more AI Verified source (Jul 3, 2026)

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Emmanuel Macron
President of France

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votes For and says:

So let us move forward together. Our relevant agencies must first cooperate so that, in the areas of security and cybersecurity, we have a smooth government-to-government relationship.
AI Verified source (Jun 17, 2026)

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Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada; former Governor of the Bank of England and Bank of Canada

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votes For and says:

In a world of great power rivalry, middle powers have a choice: to compete for favour or to combine to create a third path with impact. The nations that invest in their own capabilities across strategic sectors – and partner with like-minded allies –...
more AI Verified source (Jun 13, 2026)

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Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Government of Canada department responsible for innovation, science, and economic development.

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votes For and says:

A coalition of aligned democracies, who pool research, talent, compute, and procurement power, would offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape.
AI Verified source (Jun 8, 2026)

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Branka Marijan
Senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and senior researcher at Project Ploughshares.

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votes For and says:

Canada should use these partnerships to pursue shared computing infrastructure, joint research initiatives, common standards for trustworthy AI and coordinated approaches to technology governance.
AI Verified source (Jun 8, 2026)

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Government of Canada
Federal government of Canada

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votes For and says:

A coalition of aligned democracies, who pool research, talent, compute, and procurement power, would offer a credible alternative to the dominant market actors that increasingly define the global AI landscape. Canada is uniquely positioned to lead su...
more AI Verified source (Jun 8, 2026)

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Egriselda López
Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the United Nations and co-chair of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.

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votes For and says:

The dialogue was established as a UN platform involving governments and all relevant stakeholders to support international cooperation and to share lessons learned and to discuss how AI can contribute to sustainable development and actually help clos...
more AI Verified source (Jun 2026)

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Harish Parvathaneni
Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations.

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votes For and says:

India is happy to continue sharing its DPI experience and working with partners to ensure that technology and AI become instruments of empowerment and sustainable development for all.
AI Verified source (Jun 2026)

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AI Alliance
Global coalition advancing open, safe, and responsible artificial intelligence

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votes For and says:

The idea is to bring together data, compute, talent, and institutional commitment from a global consortium of partners to build frontier-capable foundation models that no single participant could build alone, while preserving each participant's abili...
more AI Verified source (May 30, 2026)

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Against (1)

Nof Alhamli
Science and Technology Advisor at the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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votes Against and says:

The answer isn't convergence for its own sake. We can push too hard on one thing. But if you have one standard, you could risk a lowest common denominator outcome that can cost us the innovation system as well and might have a risk on the national in...
more AI Verified source (Jul 7, 2026)

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More h/open-source votes

Open-source AI is more dangerous than closed-source AI

Require frontier AI labs to conduct nearly all R&D publicly but keep the weights closed

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