Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang rejected describing AI model distillation (training on another model's outputs) as "theft," telling CNBC that training or learning from competitors' products is "competition." U.S. officials have accused Chinese AI companies of using the technique to extract capabilities from U.S. systems. The dispute has become another flashpoint in U.S.-China AI competition, while officials consider measures against overseas companies that use distillation. Nvidia trades under the ticker NVDA.