Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Defends AI Distillation as Competition as U.S. Calls It Theft
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 28
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Defends AI Distillation as Competition as U.S. Calls It Theft
2 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 28
Summary
Jensen Huang said AI model distillation is "competition," arguing companies are free to test rivals' products even if Nvidia would prefer others not learn from its systems.
The remarks directly counter the White House line in a growing U.S.-China AI dispute, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in July labeled distillation "theft" and threatened sanctions on overseas users.
Earlier this month, CISA accused Chinese AI firms of running "industrial-scale knowledge distillation campaigns" that violated U.S. companies' terms of use.
Anthropic separately said it found Alibaba and DeepSeek engaged in "illicit distillation," claims China has rejected as tensions over AI leadership intensify.