In the ongoing contest between nations for technological supremacy, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stepped forward to argue that America's best answer to China's advances in artificial intelligence lies not in restriction, but in openness — specifically, the broader development of open-source AI models. His position rests on a philosophical conviction that accountability, not prohibition, is the truest form of safety: if those who build powerful systems can also choose to stop, they can equally be held responsible for what they unleash. The debate unfolding in Washington reflects a deepe