The U.S. National Security Council on Artificial Intelligence released a report warning that the Chinese Communist Party poses the number one threat to U.S. technological dominance. Pictured is the U.S. flag at the U.S. Capitol.
The U.S. National Security Council on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) released a strategic report Monday (March 1) on how to win in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and made dozens of recommendations to the president, Congress, business and government leaders. The panel said the Chinese Communist Party is the number one challenge to U.S. technological dominance, threatening economic and military power for the first Time since the end of World War II.
The commissioners called for a $40 billion U.S. investment to expand and democratize AI research and development and encourage policymakers to support investment in innovation.
The U.S. report recommends several changes that could shape business, technology and national security. For example, amid a global semiconductor shortage, the report calls for the U.S. to maintain a “two-generation lead” over China in semiconductor manufacturing and recommends high tax credits for semiconductor manufacturers. President Joe Biden has pledged to seek $32 billion to address the global chip shortage and signed an executive order last week to investigate supply chain issues.
“I really hope that Congress considers this report and its recommendations in depth.” Andy Jassy, chief executive of Amazon Cloud Services (AWS), said Monday.
He also said there is urgency in addressing these needs.
The 756-page report, which urges the U.S. to be AI-ready by 2025, was approved by commissioners in a vote Monday.
“It’s worth reiterating that to win in AI, we need more money, more talent, more leadership, and we, as a commission, agree that this is a national security priority, and the steps outlined in the report represent not only our consensus, but also a distillation of the opinions of hundreds of technical and policy and ethics experts, so I encourage the public and everyone to follow our recommendations.” Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and chair of the committee, said.
“To win the technology race, it is recommended that the U.S. government must act to promote innovation to improve national competitiveness; and to protect America’s key advantages in the face of greater strategic competition from China (the Chinese Communist Party). This could not be clearer.” Schmidt said.
Schmidt and other members of the committee said they began to sell the ideas to key power decision makers in the administration.
The report recommends tripling the number of national AI research institutes. The first institutes are due to launch in August 2020.
Doubling AI research and development spending by 2026 would bring funding to $32 billion at that time.
Report recommends increasing green cards for employment
The report also said immigration is a “national security imperative” and that immigration policies could slow China’s (Communist Party of China) technological progress. The commissioners recommended that the Biden Administration double the number of employment-based green cards, create visas for entrepreneurs and makers of emerging and disruptive technologies, and grant a green card to every AI doctor who graduates from an accredited U.S. university. Leadership in 5G telecommunications and robotics is also cited in the report as a national security imperative.
The Chinese Communist Party is increasing funding and investment in an attempt to become a leader in artificial intelligence by 2025, meaning the report focuses more on China than any other foreign country. The report argues that the U.S. could lose its military technology advantage over the CCP within the next decade if it does not step up its response.
“There is every reason to believe that competition with China (the Chinese Communist Party) will intensify.” Schmidt said at a related conference on Monday.
Report recommends U.S. build emerging technology alliances with allies
This report argues that the development and advancement of artificial intelligence is deepening the threat posed by cyber attacks and the dissemination of disinformation. U.S. politicians and high-technology professionals are becoming wary of Russia, China and other state and non-state actors using cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns to infiltrate U.S. society, steal data and interfere with the U.S. democratic process.
To counter the rise of a technologically authoritarian governance model similar to that practiced by the Chinese Communist Party, the report calls for the United States to build an emerging technology alliance with its allies; it also calls for a high-level, ongoing diplomatic dialogue with the Chinese Communist Party to discuss the challenges posed by emerging technologies such as AI in order to find areas of cooperation to address global challenges such as climate change.
On defense, the committee does not support a global treaty banning autonomous AI weapons because it is “not currently in the interest of U.S. or international security,” and the report finds that the Chinese Communist Party and Russia would disregard the implementation of any such commitments. Instead, the report calls for the development of standards for autonomous weaponry.
In other matters related to foreign policy and international affairs, the commission called for an international agreement never to automatically use nuclear weapons, and sought similar commitments from Russia and China (the Chinese Communist Party).
The report also recommends that the U.S. government should require greater disclosure of research funding and partnership information from universities and research institutions; in addition a database of individuals and entities should be created to enable advance warning of risks.
Throughout the report, the need for the U.S. to maintain technology leadership is emphasized. For President Biden, the report recommends that he issue an executive order aimed at protecting intellectual property and establish a Council on Technological Competitiveness to address intellectual property issues and develop a national plan.
Recent Comments