AI & Tech Brief: Exclusive | An open-source framework - The Washington Post

So the Trump administration, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that the best way to regulate American open-source AI is to look at what the Chinese are doing and, presumably, try to match it. A 'capability framework' is being discussed, calibrated to the 'current capabilities of leading Chinese open-source models.' Because nothing says 'America first' like using Beijing's models as the yardstick. This is the same administration that's been slapping tariffs on Chinese tech while simultaneously building policy around it.

The Chinese model in question? Probably Z.ai's GLM-5.2, which we covered a few days ago — the one with the million-token context window and 'painful' wait times. So the US is now playing catch-up, openly admitting that Chinese open-source models define the frontier. The industry is apparently on board, which means the labs get to keep their heads down while the government sets a ceiling based on foreign competitors. How convenient.

The gall of it is breathtaking: an administration that campaigned on beating China is now literally using Chinese benchmarks to decide what American models are allowed to do. It's like a football team deciding their playbook based on the opponent's last game tape — except the opponent is also reading the same tape. Expect US open-source models to be capped at exactly whatever China releases next, with a lag of a few months. Innovation, thy name is regulatory inertia.