US Treasury Secretary Bessent says the US can sanction any open-source AI Model if they do IP theft; going to be looking China models in the coming days

US Treasury Secretary Bessent's comments signal a potential tightening of scrutiny on Chinese AI models regarding intellectual property theft.

Newsquawk StaffPublished 21 Jul 2026, 12:29 UTCOn the live feed at 12:09 UTC — 11 more headlines followed before this page went public

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US Treasury Secretary Bessent says the US can sanction any open-source AI Model if they do IP theft; going to be looking China models in the coming days

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Bessent says the question is: are Chinese models using stolen material.
US supports open-source AI models but not IP theft.
Starting to see US open-source AI models emerge.

Context

This stance could prompt market volatility, particularly in sectors tied to technology and AI, as the administration balances support for open-source initiatives with protection of U.S. IP. Traders should monitor the implications for Sino-U.S. relations and any ensuing regulatory developments that may impact equities and tech stocks in particular.

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