Introduction to AI Leadership
OpenAI and Google are urging the US government to take decisive action to secure the nation’s AI leadership. The two companies believe that the US is at a critical juncture in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and that the government must act quickly to ensure that American-led AI continues to prevail over AI developed by other countries, particularly China.
The Current State of AI
The US is currently a world leader in AI, with many of the most advanced AI models and tools being developed by American companies. However, this lead is not assured, and other countries, particularly China, are rapidly catching up. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stated its intention to overtake the US in AI by 2030, and OpenAI and Google believe that the US government must take action to prevent this from happening.
A Plan for the AI Action Plan
OpenAI has outlined three scaling principles that it believes are essential for the development of AI:
- The intelligence of an AI model roughly equals the log of the resources used to train and run it.
- The cost to use a given level of AI capability falls by about 10x every 12 months.
- The amount of calendar time it takes to improve an AI model keeps decreasing.
Google has also outlined a three-point plan for the US to focus on:
- Invest in AI: Google called for coordinated action to address the surging energy needs of AI infrastructure, balanced export controls, continued funding for R&D, and pro-innovation federal policy frameworks.
- Accelerate and modernise government AI adoption: Google urged the federal government to lead by example through AI adoption and deployment, including implementing multi-vendor, interoperable AI solutions and streamlining procurement processes.
- Promote pro-innovation approaches internationally: Google advocated for an active international economic policy to support AI innovation, championing market-driven technical standards, working with aligned countries to address national security risks, and combating restrictive foreign AI barriers.
AI Policy Recommendations for the US Government
Both OpenAI and Google have provided detailed policy recommendations to the US government. OpenAI’s proposals include:
- A regulatory strategy that ensures the freedom to innovate through voluntary partnership between the federal government and the private sector.
- An export control strategy that promotes the global adoption of American AI systems while protecting America’s AI lead.
- A copyright strategy that protects the rights of content creators while preserving American AI models’ ability to learn from copyrighted material.
- An infrastructure opportunity strategy to drive growth, including policies to support a thriving AI-ready workforce and ecosystems of labs, start-ups, and larger companies.
- An ambitious government adoption strategy to ensure the US government itself sets an example of using AI to benefit its citizens.
Google’s recommendations include:
- Advancing energy policies to power domestic data centres, including transmission and permitting reform.
- Adopting balanced export control policies that support market access while targeting pertinent risks.
- Accelerating AI R&D, streamlining access to computational resources, and incentivising public-private partnerships.
- Crafting a pro-innovation federal framework for AI, including federal legislation that prevents a patchwork of state laws, ensuring industry has access to data that enables fair learning, emphasising sector-specific and risk-based AI governance, and supporting workforce initiatives to develop AI skills.
Conclusion
In conclusion, OpenAI and Google are urging the US government to take decisive action to secure the nation’s AI leadership. The two companies believe that the US is at a critical juncture in the development of AI and that the government must act quickly to ensure that American-led AI continues to prevail over AI developed by other countries. They have outlined a number of policy recommendations, including investing in AI, accelerating government AI adoption, and promoting pro-innovation approaches internationally.
FAQs
Q: Why is the US government being urged to take action on AI?
A: The US government is being urged to take action on AI because the country’s lead in AI is narrowing, and other countries, particularly China, are rapidly catching up.
Q: What are the three scaling principles outlined by OpenAI?
A: The three scaling principles outlined by OpenAI are: the intelligence of an AI model roughly equals the log of the resources used to train and run it, the cost to use a given level of AI capability falls by about 10x every 12 months, and the amount of calendar time it takes to improve an AI model keeps decreasing.
Q: What are the policy recommendations made by OpenAI and Google?
A: OpenAI and Google have made a number of policy recommendations, including investing in AI, accelerating government AI adoption, and promoting pro-innovation approaches internationally.
Q: Why is it important for the US government to take action on AI?
A: It is important for the US government to take action on AI because the country’s lead in AI is narrowing, and other countries, particularly China, are rapidly catching up. If the US does not take action, it risks losing its lead in AI and falling behind other countries.
