US AI panel requests to boost its tech skills to oppose China

An artificial intelligence commission led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is urging the U.S. to boost its AI skills to counter China, including by pursuing “AI-enabled” weapons. Schmidt and current executives from Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Amazon are among the 15 members of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

The report says that machines that can “perceive, decide, and act more quickly” than humans and with more accuracy are going to be deployed for military purposes - with or without the involvement of the U.S. and other democracies. It warns against unchecked use of autonomous weapons but expresses opposition to a global ban. It also calls for “wise restraints” on the use of AI tools such as facial recognition that can be used for mass surveillance.

Andrew Moore, a Commissioner and the Head of Google Cloud AI, “We have to develop technology that preserves our Western values, but we have to be prepared for a world in which not everyone is doing that.”

The group has the ear of top lawmakers from both parties, but has attracted criticism for including many members who work for tech companies with big government contracts, and who thus have a lot at stake in federal rules on emerging technology.

The report calls for a “White House-led strategy” to defend against AI-related threats, to set standards on how intelligent machines can be used responsibly and to boost U.S. research and development to maintain the nation’s technological advantage over China.

It is not yet clear whether President Joe Biden’s administration is on board with the commission’s approach. It’s still awaiting confirmation of a new director for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; which Biden has elevated to a Cabinet-level position.

The commission also includes executives like Safra Catz, the CEO of software giant Oracle, and Amazon’s incoming CEO, Andy Jassy, who currently runs its cloud computing division, as well as top AI experts at Microsoft and Google. All four companies have competed against each other for federal cloud computing contracts. The representatives from Microsoft and Google joined other members in approving the final report, but abstained from the section relating to government partnerships with the private sector.