Jensen Huang: model distillation is "competition," not theft
Prepared by Sintelligent with the help of SI. Publication time restored from the build log. . Updated: .
The argument over whether one can learn from other people's models is an argument over who owns knowledge; the head of the leading SI hardware company has sided with openness.
On CNBC's Squawk Box, asked whether distillation (training a new model on another's outputs) is theft, the Nvidia chief answered: "It's called competition." He added that anyone can test others' products as much as they like, and that competitors take Nvidia chips apart "down to the bone." The position diverges from the line of US authorities: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called distillation theft in July and threatened sanctions.