July 18, 2019
In Search of Ideas: The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Wants You
Americans don’t want to grow old wondering what happened to their country’s place in the world. U.S. global leadership has fostered international institutions, strengthened human rights in international relations, and helped make what President Woodrow Wilson sought more than a century ago: a world “safe for democracy.” But Americans should not take those features of the global order for granted.
After a briefer-than-expected period of unchallenged power and two longer-than-expected unconventional wars, the United States once again finds itself facing state actors with the potential to match its power and ideologies and interests in conflict with its own. Whether or not that results in a new Cold War or a different type of peace remains to be seen. In either case, as with previous competitions, emerging technology will likely play a prominent role.
Artificial intelligence, or AI, has emerged as one of the most important technologies for national security. America’s level of AI competence will affect almost every aspect of American life, from developing more effective ways to educate the people to changing the way we earn wages to defending against cyber-attacks and on the battlefield.
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which we co-chair, is an independent federal commission helping the United States government determine what actions to take to ensure America’s national security enterprise has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. global leadership. The commission includes four working groups and three special projects. The working groups focus on maintaining U.S. global leadership in AI research, sustaining global leadership in national security AI applications, preparing the national security workforce for an AI future, and ensuring international cooperation and competitiveness in AI. The three special projects address ethics, data, and public-private partnerships. We will produce two reports to Congress, both intended to elevate awareness and to inform better legislation.
Read the full article in War on the Rocks.
More from CNAS
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Selling H200s to China Erodes Main U.S. AdvantageA new report says China could buy twice as much AI computing power as it can produce domestically if Nvidia H200 chips are allowed there. Janet Egan from the Center for a New ...
By Janet Egan
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | Unpacking the H200 Export PolicyAI Chips for China With two new policies, President Donald Trump has implemented his pledge to allow sales of NVIDIA’s H200 AI chips to China in exchange for a quarter of the ...
By Janet Egan & James Sanders
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
AI and Policy, Both Foreign and DomesticIn an episode recorded just before Christmas, Darren interviews Janet Egan, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS, about AI...
By Janet Egan
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Quantum Computing’s Industrial ChallengeThis article was originally published in Just Security. The United States, China, and Europe are preparing to refresh their national quantum programs in 2026, making this a pi...
By Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante
