Industry groups line up against Commerce’s interim rule on AI export controls

An anxiously awaited Commerce Department interim final rule on artificial intelligence export controls is facing widespread criticism from major tech industry groups upset by both its substance and the process for releasing the complex regulation at the tail end of the Biden administration.

The new rule from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, released Jan. 13, requires authorizations for exports and transfers of certain closed AI model weights while providing licensing exemptions for allies.

It will be...