The Game is Set… The U.S. Must Win
U.S. National Security Commission Warns Pentagon Of Falling Hopelessly Behind In The AI Arms Race
Selected notes ~
+ Released [last week], the November interim report from the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) advises the U.S. government to get its act together on the development of security- and defence-related AI, lest it fall behind its adversaries, namely China and Russia. Failure to do so would relinquish America’s role as a primary player in AI, while exposing the nation to serious new threats, including a diminishing of U.S. military advantage, unchecked disinformation campaigns, increased cyberattacks, and the erosion of democracy and civil liberties, according to the new report.
“We are in a competition,” said Schmidt during his opening remarks. “There’s no question the game is set… and we have to win.” He said the U.S. government “is currently unprepared for the potential of AI,” and that a culture change needs to happen in both the public and private sectors.
+ Lieutenant General John N.T. “Jack” Shanahan, the director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Centre, talked about the coming shift to “algorithmic warfare” and how “we are going to be shocked by the speed, chaos, and bloodiness” of future combat involving AI. He said humans pitted against machines will have a distinct disadvantage and that it would be incumbent upon the U.S. to avoid this lopsided dynamic on the battlefield. Shanahan commended the authors of the interim report but cautioned that the findings will take some time to implement. “This is a multigenerational problem requiring a multigenerational solution,” he said.
+ In addition to new investments in education, Schmidt said the U.S. needs to expand public and private sponsorship of R&D, work to keep talented researchers inside the U.S., be the first to reach global markets, and develop ancillary technologies like quantum computers and 5G networks. Schmidt said collaborative discussions will also be needed to ensure AI safety, such that AI will do “what we want it to do.” The U.S. would be smart to work with its competitors on this matter, he added.
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