National technology investment strategies are hard to define let alone pass through complicated legislative bodies, like the US Congress, even when theres a declared war that threatens a country's financial and economic competitiveness.The war for global leadership in artificial intelligence and machine learning is well underway, and the US is poised to lose perhaps the most important technology war in its history.

Is the AI war well-understood?Not even close, at least not by the leaders who develop national strategies or by the citizens of the United States who all need to spend some time on https://willrobotstakemyjob.com.While I searched and searched, I could not find a single political candidate in the recent US mid-term elections who discussed AI, the AI war, or how the US will likely lose the war unless a massive strategic pivot occurs immediately.Since theyre mostly unaware of the war, US leaders have no strategies to prevent an historic loss: imagine the implications of electing politicians who have no idea a deadly war is underway.

The Threat

So whats going on?

AI/machine learning/deep learning (lets call it all AI) are the new digital weapons which, by the way, the US Department of Defense discovered decades ago.While we could certainly examine the importance of AI in global military and economic warfare, no one can argue that AI is unimportant.In fact, its at least a 9 or any imaginable 10-point scale.I give it an easy 10.So do lots of others who research technology trends and technology adoption, especially those who track indicators ofnational success.

The Chinese have a very public, very-deep, extremely well-funded commitment to AI.Air Force General VeraLinn Jamieson says it plainly:"We estimate the total spending on artificial intelligence systems in China in 2017 was $12 billion. We also estimate that it will grow to at least $70 billion by 2020."According to the Obama White House Report in 2016, China publishes more journal articles on deep learning than the US and has increased its number of AI patents by 200%.China is determined to be the world leader in AI by 2030.

Listen to what Tristan Greene writing in TNW concludes about the USs commitment to AI:Unfortunately, despite congressional efforts to get the conversation started at the national level in the US, the White Houses current leadership doesnt appear interested in coming up with a strategy tokeep upwith China. It gets worse:China has allocated billions of dollars towards infrastructure to house hundreds of AI businesses in dedicated industrial parks.It has specific companies, the Chinese counterparts to US operations like Google and Amazon, working on different problems in the field of AI. And itsregulating education so that the nation produces more STEM workers. But perhaps most importantly, China makes it compulsory for businesses and private citizens to share their data with the government something far more valuable than money in the world of AI.

Greenes scary bottom line?Meanwhile, in the US, the Trump administration has shown little interest in discussing its own countrys AI yet,may soon have to talk to Chinas.

More data?According to Iris Deng, China ranks first in the quantity and citation of research papers, and holds the most AI patents, edging out the US and Japan (and) China has not been shy about its ambitions for AI dominance, with the State Council releasing a road map in July 2017 with a goal of creating a domestic industry worth 1 trillion yuan and becoming a global AI powerhouse by 2030.

It's obvious:Without more leadership from Congress and the President, the U.S. is in serious danger of losing the economic and military rewards of artificial intelligence (AI) to China. Thats the somber conclusion of a report published ... by the House Oversight and Reform IT subcommittee.

Jerry Bowles also says it clearly:The U.S. has traditionally led the world in the development and application of AI-driven technologies, due in part to the governments commitment to investing heavily in research and development. That has, in turn, helped support AIs growth and development. In 2015, the United States led the world in total gross domestic R&D expenditures, spending $497 billion.But, since then, neither Congress nor the Trump administration has paid much attention to AI and government R&D investment has been essentially flat.Meanwhile, China has made AI a key part of its formal economic plans for the future.

The Response

The US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Information Technology Committee on Oversight & Government Reform summarizes itbut notdefinitively:

There is a pressing need for conscious, direct, and spirited leadership from the Trump Administration.The 2016 reports put out by the Obama Administrations National Science and Technology Council and the recent actions of the Trump Administration are steps in the right direction. However, given the actions taken by other countries especially China Congress and the Administration will need to increase the time, attention, and level of resources the federal government devotes to AI research and development, as well as push for agencies to further build their capacities for adapting to advanced technologies.

The government has an essential role to play in securing American leadership in AI.Fulfilling this role will require balancing the creative energy of innovative Americans whose knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit have driven the development of this technology with regulatory frameworks that protect consumers. To ensure the appropriate balance is met, it is vital Congress and the Executive Branch continue to educate themselves about AI, increase the expenditures of R&D funds, help set the agenda for public debate, and, where appropriate, define the role of AI in the future of this nation.

Clearly, a coordinated, heavily-funded American response is way overdue.Here are somespecific steps:

These steps represent a good start to turn the tide of the AI war a war the US simply cannot afford to lose.

The rest is here:

Artificial Intelligence, China And The U.S. - How The U.S. Is ...