China Will Dominate AI Unless US Invests More, Commission Warns

The U.S., which once had a dominant head start in artificial intelligence, now has just a few years' lead on China and risks being overtaken unless government steps in, according to a new report to Congress and the White House. From a report: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who chaired the committee that issued the report, tells Axios that the U.S. risks dire consequences if it fails to both invest in key technologies and fully integrate AI into the military. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence approved its 750-page report on Monday, following a 2-year effort. Schmidt chaired the 15-member commission, which also included Oracle's Safra Catz, Microsoft's Eric Horvitz and Amazon's Andy Jassy.

On both the economic and military fronts, the biggest risk comes from China. 'China possesses the might, talent, and ambition to surpass the United States as the world's leader in AI in the next decade if current trends do not change,' the report states. And It's not just AI technology that the U.S. needs to maintain a lead in. The report mentions a number of key technologies, including quantum computing, robotics, 3D printing and 5G. 'We don't have to go to war with China,' Schmidt said. 'We don't have to have a cold war. We do need to be competitive.'

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