July 30, 2020

Ex-Google Boss Says Artificial Intelligence Will Be Key to U.S. National Security

Featuring: Ainikki Riikonen, and Michael Horowitz

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Journalist: David Uberti

The former top executive of Google described artificial intelligence as a linchpin in global power struggles and warned the U.S. could fall behind rivals like China unless it elevates AI as a cornerstone of national security.

Eric Schmidt, who led the tech giant for a decade and was executive chairman of parent company Alphabet Inc., urged the public and private sectors to bolster the country’s AI capabilities at a virtual event hosted by the Brookings Institution on Wednesday. Innovation and talent development will be particularly key to keep pace with a Chinese system that is growing to be “brilliantly powerful and brilliantly constraining,” Mr. Schmidt said.

“The game is afoot,” he added. “The competition is ahead of us. We need to take it seriously. We need to act now.”

Read the full story and more from The Wall Street Journal Pro.

Authors

  • Ainikki Riikonen

    Former Research Associate, Technology and National Security Program

    Ainikki Riikonen is a former Research Associate for the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her research focuses on emer...

  • Michael Horowitz

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Technology and National Security Program

    Michael C. Hororwitz is a former Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS. He is currently the Director of Emerging Capabilities Policy Of...