Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang Meets with U.S. Officials Amid Growing Concerns Over China's AI Advancements

Scale AI's CEO Grabbed a Meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Tech Leader Remains Intently Focused on the 'AI War' With China

Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang met with House Speaker Mike Johnson, as part of the 28-year-old billionaire's efforts to make his data-labeling startup a player in Washington D.C. Wang is sounding an alarm about China's ascendency in the AI arms race, which was amplified last week by DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, which released open source models that reportedly bested those developed by US startups, for a fraction of the price. Wang's meeting with Johnson was described as informal and confirmed by sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The CEO's trip to Washington was first reported by Axios. Part of Johnson's job as House Speaker has been overseeing the House Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Scale AI is hardly a household name, but its role in the development of generative AI is important: The company provides data-labeling services that correct mistakes made by AI tools such as chatbots and image generators, and has clients ranging from Meta to the Department of Defense. Data-labeling is performed by contract laborers who work for Scale's subsidiaries Outlier AI and Remotasks -- both of which have been accused by contractors of withholding payments.

Scale AI CEO to meet with White House, Congress over China AI threat:...

An artificial intelligence whiz -- who raised red flags last month about Chinese AI startup DeepSeek -- is heading to Washington, DC, to discuss the threat posed by Beijing's stunning advancement in the vital sector. Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang - whose $14 billion US-based firm works with the federal government as well as major players like OpenAI, Google and Meta - will also discuss AI's impact on the US economy and how America can win its race with China, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The meetings will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wang is set for talks with Trump administration officials as well as US lawmakers, according to the report. Representatives for Scale did not immediately return The Post's request for comment. US tech leaders and government officials have been grappling with the fallout after DeepSeek claimed to have trained an advanced AI model for less than $6 million - and without access to chip supplier Nvidia's best hardware due to export controls. The announcement - referred to as AI's "Sputnik moment" by billionaire investor Marc Andreessen - sparked chaos as investors feared that China has erased the US lead in AI development. Others worried that US AI firms like Google and Microsoft have wildly overspent on advanced hardware that may be less necessary to development than thought. Wang has been among the most outspoken US tech leaders about the geopolitical implications of DeepSeek's rapid advancement. Last month, Scale AI and Wang took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post that said, "Dear President Trump, America must win the AI war." Wang also told CNBC that DeepSeek was "roughly on par with the best American models." He also asserted that DeepSeek has 50,000 of Nvidia's most advanced computer chips but can't publicly acknowledge them due to US export controls limiting their sale to China. "I think it is true that, you know, I think they have more chips than other people expect, but also going to go forward basis, they are going to be limited by the chip controls and the export controls that we have in place," Wang said in the interview. Elon Musk, who runs his own artificial intelligence firm called xAI, chimed in to say that Wang was "obviously" correct. US officials are reportedly probing whether DeepSeek may have gotten some Nvidia chips through third-parties in Singapore to circumvent the restrictions. Wang is the latest in a procession of US tech executives who have traveled to the White House in recent weeks. The list includes OpenAI boss Sam Altman as well as Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Scale AI CEO Wang to meet with lawmakers, administration officials

White House "looking into" national security implications of DeepSeek's AI White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at her first press briefing that the National Security Council was "looking into" the potential security implications of AI breakthroughs from China's DeepSeek, which have rocked Silicon Valley and Wall Street this week. Why it matters: DeepSeek's low-cost but highly advanced models have shaken the consensus that the U.S. had a strong lead in the AI race with China. Responding to a question from Axios' Mike Allen, Leavitt said President Trump saw this as a "wake-up call" for the U.S. AI industry, but remained confident "we'll restore American dominance."