April 18, 2023
To Stay Ahead of China in AI, the U.S. Needs to Work with China
An AI gold rush is underway in the private sector in the wake of ChatGPT, but the geopolitical stakes are even greater. The United States and China are vying for global leadership in AI, a technology that is transforming political, economic, and military power. The U.S. currently leads in AI, but China is rapidly catching up and has declared its intent to be the global leader by 2030. To stay ahead of China in AI, the U.S. will need to work with China. The best competitive strategy for the U.S. is to sustain ties with China in areas where the U.S. benefits disproportionately, such as human talent and computing hardware, while severing problematic ties.
The U.S. is in a long-term technology competition with China, but pure decoupling is a weak strategy.
U.S. policymakers have been on a steady path to selectively decoupling the U.S. and Chinese AI ecosystems, which are deeply intertwined. The U.S. government has blacklisted Chinese tech firms using “Entity List” designations and slapped export controls on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment and AI chips to China. U.S. companies and universities should not be working with Chinese entities engaged in human rights abuses or working with the military. Yet Washington’s steady ratcheting up of restrictions risks going too far. To preserve America’s technological leadership, the U.S. should maintain the flow of Chinese talent to the U.S. and preserve China’s dependence on U.S. hardware.
Read the full article from Time.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Sharper: Countering Cyber ThreatsAdvanced AI and quantum capabilities are increasing the cyber threat to critical systems, making the development of proper resilience and responses a national security imperat...
By Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Spies, Satellites & Startups: Intel in the Digital AgeDr. Anthony Vinci, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the first Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Capabilities at the Nation...
By Anthony Vinci
-
Congressional Testimony
Technology & National Security
A.I. Is Lying to You. Here’s How to Fight Back.A recent study in the scientific journal Nature showed that A.I. dialogue is roughly four times as persuasive as traditional political ads....
By Anthony Vinci
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Open AI Says AI Must Remain Under Human ControlMichelle Nie Duncan, visiting fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, joins BBC News to discuss AI risks. Watch th...
By Michelle Nie
