# The new AI battle line is drawn > Source: > Published: 2026-07-29 21:00:00+00:00 New lines are being drawn in the battle to decide who controls the future of AI. Nearly every major Western AI company, including OpenAI, Google, and Cohere, banded together to [sign an open letter](https://betakit.com/cohere-joins-silicon-valley-heavyweights-in-call-for-open-source-ai/?utm_source=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter%2007.29.26%20%2801ManualRampWeek%29) last week in support of open-weight AI models. These models’ parameters can be inspected and tweaked for free, but their makers don’t necessarily publish their source code or training data. The letter, posted online by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, argues that open-weight models strengthen competition and give customers more control. It came after reports that the US administration [wanted to ban open-weight Chinese AI models](https://www.axios.com/2026/07/20/ai-us-china-open-source-kimi) under the guise of national security—a potentially expensive prospect for many US companies, whose share of tokens spent on cheaper Chinese AI models has risen sharply in 2026. The only top North American lab that didn’t sign was Anthropic. After mounting criticism, CEO Dario Amodei [laid out his perspective in a blog post](https://www.anthropic.com/news/position-open-weights-models), claiming that Anthropic is not against open weights. He is concerned about Chinese “distillation” operations that train AI off of US models, arguing that they could bring China’s AI frontier to within months of US capabilities. In a separate letter, Anthropic and over 1,200 AI company employees called for an international effort to pace frontier automated AI development, [with support from](https://x.com/Yoshua_Bengio/status/2082505761280729232) Canadian AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio. For frontier labs and their supporters, the open versus closed battle is a debate about AI protectionism, safety, or opportunity (perhaps all three). But for the AI companies that don’t make their own LLMs, the debate could come down to price. Anthropic’s Claude Code is the choice model for many developers, but tokenmaxxing has become prohibitively pricey. With Chinese open-weight models performing well enough at a fraction of the cost, the war for control might be won on affordability. Madison McLauchlan, Montréal Reporter **Your finance team has better things to do than chase receipts.** Time is money. Ramp is a finance automation platform built to save you both. One platform for corporate cards, employee expenses, reimbursements, and bill payments. See every swipe as it happens. Automatically block out-of-policy spend. When a receipt comes in, Ramp extracts the details and matches them to the related card transaction, which can then be auto-coded with GST/HST details and sent straight to your accounting system.1 The average customer saves 5%2 in their first year. 1 Direct sync available for supported accounting systems: QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite, Microsoft Business Central, and Sage Intacct.2 This percentage is an estimate, not a guarantee. More details at [ramp.com/canada](https://ramp.com/en-ca/lp2?utm_source=betakit&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=betakit_q3_2026_ca). #### Latest news across tech **Nvidia invests in Sutskever** Chip giant Nvidia is investing $5 billion into Safe Superintelligence, according to * Bloomberg*. The AI startup was [founded](https://betakit.com/canadian-ilya-sutskevers-safe-superintelligence-closes-1-billion-usd-in-funding/?utm_source=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter%2007.29.26%20%2801ManualRampWeek%29)by Ilya Sutskever, a Canadian citizen and former OpenAI chief scientist who studied under Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto. **No newsma ’til CUSMA** Canada might be poised to bow to pressure from US streaming and social media giants with some significant regulatory changes. This week, [ Politico reported](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/canada-playbook/2026/07/27/no-easy-way-out-01012410) that the feds have received a proposal from Meta that could re-allow news links on its platforms in Canada, but that the offer is caught up in broader US-Canada trade negotiations. At the same time, Ottawa is preparing to eliminate requirements that force US companies to send some of their Canadian revenues to domestic news and entertainment programming, according to [.](https://www.thewirereport.ca/2026/07/28/breaking-ottawa-to-scrap-all-contribution-requirements-for-u-s-streamers/) *The Wire Report***Claude chats exposed** Some Google search results surfaced private chat logs with Anthropic’s Claude chatbot this week, according to * 404 Media*. The exposed data included someone’s vibe-coded therapy app, meeting notes, and even keys to a crypto wallet. **Risqué Realbotix** A New York school board has nixed a deal that would bring a “robot teacher” made by Toronto-based Realbotix into one of its high schools, * The Associated Press* reports. Parents and teachers raised concerns over student privacy and Realbotix’s ties to another company that makes lifelike sex bots. **Predict this** After announcing its [partnership](https://betakit.com/wealthsimple-launches-prediction-markets-app-through-us-exchange-kalshi/?utm_source=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter%2007.29.26%20%2801ManualRampWeek%29) with US exchange Kalshi last month, Wealthsimple has officially launched [Wealthsimple Predict](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/predict), bringing controversial prediction markets to everyday Canadians. The app is already listed as the number one free finance app on the Apple App Store. **Second rogue OpenAI model target revealed** Remember the rogue OpenAI model that broke containment and hacked Hugging Face? Well, it didn’t stop there. [ Reuters reports](https://www.reuters.com/business/openais-rogue-agent-compromised-an-account-second-tech-firm-sources-say-2026-07-28/) that the agent also compromised a customer of New York-based Modal Labs, expanding the scope of the AI’s unsanctioned incursions. **Help shape the next generation of Canadian founders** Velocity is bringing back the Velocity Pitch Competition for Waterloo Tech Week, reimagined with a new format. We’re looking for judges who can bring real-world expertise, sharp feedback, and an eye for ideas with potential. Here’s how it works: 100 student teams, 100 judges, one day. Each team delivers a two-minute lightning pitch. As a judge, you’ll hear from up to 20 teams, give feedback, and help decide who takes home prizes. This is a chance for industry leaders and entrepreneurs to spot early talent, support the next generation of founders, and stay close to the ideas shaping Canada’s future. #### On the move This week’s hires, fires, and exec shakeups: - FinTech giant **Ramp** is[opening an office](https://betakit.com/ramp-fully-launches-in-canada-alongside-new-toronto-office/?utm_source=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B%7CK%3A%20The%20BetaKit%20Newsletter%2007.29.26%20%2801ManualRampWeek%29)in Toronto alongside its broader Canadian launch that includes plans to hire roughly two dozen people over the next six months. - Online car dealership **Clutch** has[opened a new customer hub](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260729589737/en/Clutch-Launches-New-Customer-Hub-in-Halifax)in Halifax; CEO Dan Park tells*BetaKit*it will start with 50 employees and scale with the market. - Toronto-based electronic land registry provider **Teranet** announced the[upcoming retirement](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260724458849/en/Teranet-Announces-Upcoming-CEO-Retirement)of its longtime CEO Elgin Farewell. - Former Québec innovation minister Pierre Fitzgibbon has been named an [operating partner](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/operatingpartner-team-appointment-share-7485996452305940480-FGTd/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAADIE4GcBIh1YWnNuTaBUcTNR8pA3d3Ipl3w)at**Jolt Capital**. **Visa** plans to cut seven percent of its workforce, or about 2,600 jobs, according to.*BNN Bloomberg**The Logic*caught up with former Deep Sky CEO**Damien Steel**, now the[first chief AI officer](https://thelogic.co/news/exclusive/chief-ai-officer-damien-steel-hoopp-maple-8/)in the Maple 8, as part of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.- Amidst waves of layoffs, voluntary buyouts are becoming increasingly common in Big Tech, reports .*Business Insider* Want to feature a hiring announcement on our list? Email [partnerships@betakit.com](mailto:partnerships@betakit.com?subject=JOBS) with the subject line JOBS. ### #1. A New Brunswick politician is under scrutiny after reading what appeared to be an AI-generated response in a floor speech. What did he say? ## Your score: Quiz answer: b) “Here’s a more natural, flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points,” New Brunswick MLA Bill Oliver said in the NB Legislative Assembly last month. The clip is now [circulating](https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7281365) online. Quiz answer: b) “Here’s a more natural, flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points,” New Brunswick MLA Bill Oliver said in the NB Legislative Assembly last month. The clip is now [circulating](https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7281365) online. *Contributors: Alex Riehl (Ottawa staff writer), Madison McLauchlan (Montréal Reporter), Douglas Soltys (editor in chief), Sarah Rieger (managing editor), Trevor Nichols (web editor).* *Feature image courtesy TechCrunch via Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0.*