Box Inc. (NYSE:BOX) CEO Aaron Levie warned that recent developments in AI governance could accelerate a global shift toward open-weight artificial intelligence models as countries seek greater control over their own digital infrastructure.
Open-Weight AI Models And Sovereign AI Shift
On Sunday, in a post on X, Levie argued that uncertainty around AI access is pushing nations to reconsider reliance on U.S.-controlled systems.
"The big winner in all of this is going to be open weights models," he wrote, adding that a new precedent has emerged around the possibility that "a model could be pulled back."
He said this dynamic introduces strategic risk for governments and businesses dependent on foreign-built AI systems.
Levie also said regulatory focus on the "model layer" rather than the "applied layer" could have unintended geopolitical consequences.
"The game theory the US should highly consider… is that other countries now have even more incentive to develop sovereign AI," he wrote.
He added that if access can be restricted at any time, "this poses very real risk on relying on technology from a particular country."
He said the most likely response from other nations would be increased adoption of open-weight models, which allow independent deployment and customization.
Levie noted these systems are "generally not coming from the US" at present.
AI Scrutiny And Open-Source Push Intensify
Earlier, OpenAI was investigated by multiple state attorneys general over its data practices, safety measures and consumer impacts ahead of a potential IPO, with a subpoena seeking records on advertising, data handling, user protection and AI behavior.
The company said it would cooperate with regulators.
NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) announced a $26 billion plan to develop open-weight AI models, a move supported by Block Inc. (NYSE:XYZ) CEO Jack Dorsey.
The shift signaled Nvidia's expansion beyond chips into model development, amid growing global competition from Chinese AI firms and concerns about technological fragmentation and hardware ecosystems.
Separately, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that advanced AI systems required stricter oversight, arguing governments should be able to block or reverse unsafe deployments.
He called for stronger regulation and third-party testing, saying powerful AI could become too influential for either governments or companies to fully control.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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