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On Tue, 25 Feb, 8:03 AM UTC
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Web Summit attendees aren't buying Scale AI CEO's push for America 'to win the AI war' | TechCrunch
In a bold move last month, Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post, telling President Trump that "America must win the AI war." The statement sparked mixed reactions, as seen during Wang's appearance Sunday during the opening night of Web Summit Qatar. When Wang's interviewer Axios's Felix Salmon polled the room, asking how many people agreed with that opinion, he counted just two hands. When he asked the room how many disagreed, Salmon noted an "overwhelming" number of hands went up. So Salmon asked Wang to defend his opinion. "AI is going to fundamentally change the nature of national security," Wang explained. He noted that he grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico "the birthplace of the atomic bomb" and that both of his parents were physicists who worked at the National Lab. Wang said he views this as a race between the U.S. and China. And he expressed concern that AI will allow China to "leapfrog" the military might of "Western powers," which is what prompted the full-page ad. Wang was echoing language that's increasingly coming from defense tech startups and VCs. They are pushing for more autonomy in AI weapons and more AI weapons generally. They point to China, hypothesizing a situation where China releases fully autonomous AI weapons, while the US is slowed by requiring a human decision-maker in the loop before firing. Beyond the hypothetical weapons of another nation, Wang tried to make the case for choosing between China and the U.S. for baseline LLM models. He believes this will also be a two-horse race, not mentioning other players like France's Mistral. He argued that U.S. models bake in free speech where Chinese models reflect communist society viewpoints. It's true that researchers have discovered that many popular Chinese LLM models have their government's censorship baked in. And concerns over Chinese government backdoors for data gathering plague the Chinese models as well. Wang's stated concerns about government influence in AI seemed especially timely as his talk coincided with Scale announcing an agreement with the Qatar government. Announced on Sunday, Wang said Scale will help Qatar build out 50 AI-powered government apps, ranging from education to healthcare. Scale is mostly known for employing legions of contract workers, often overseas from the US, to manually help train models. It works with Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, most of the major U.S. foundational models. It also offers other products, like an AI data engine and AI apps, some designed for the defense industry. The overt pro-American language likely serves Scale AI well with its DoD customers. But the Web Summit talk also showcased how many people seem equally uncomfortable with the US having AI superpowers, too.
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Global AI industry rejects "America must win" message
Flashback: Alexandr Wang, the founder of ScaleAI, one of America's most valuable AI companies, last month took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post to proclaim that "America must win the AI war." State of play: When Axios asked for a show of hands from thousands of international attendees at the opening night of Web Summit Qatar in Doha Sunday, almost everybody who voted disagreed with that statement. The big picture: "If you play the tape forward on AI," said Wang, "nearly every country in the world will ultimately likely build AI technology on top of either the U.S. technology stack or the Chinese technology stack." Between the lines: Wang did make some concessions for his international audience. "AI technology should reflect, to a meaningful degree, the cultural differences between various countries," he said. The bottom line: American AI giants can no longer assume their nationality confers any kind of benefit of the doubt when it comes to trustworthiness.
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Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang's controversial call for American dominance in AI development receives significant opposition from international audience at Web Summit Qatar, highlighting global concerns over AI nationalism.
Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, has sparked a global debate with his recent assertion that "America must win the AI war." This controversial statement, initially made in a full-page Washington Post advertisement, faced significant pushback during Wang's appearance at Web Summit Qatar 12.
When polled by Axios reporter Felix Salmon, an overwhelming majority of the international audience at Web Summit Qatar disagreed with Wang's stance. This reaction highlights a growing concern over AI nationalism and the potential consequences of a single country dominating AI development 12.
Wang defended his position by emphasizing the transformative impact of AI on national security. He drew parallels to his upbringing in Los Alamos, New Mexico, "the birthplace of the atomic bomb," and expressed concerns about China potentially "leapfrogging" Western military capabilities through AI advancements 1.
Wang framed the AI competition primarily as a two-horse race between the United States and China. He argued that baseline Large Language Models (LLMs) would likely be built on either US or Chinese technology stacks, with each reflecting different societal values such as free speech versus communist viewpoints 12.
The debate extends to the use of AI in government and military applications. Wang's company, Scale AI, recently announced an agreement with the Qatar government to develop 50 AI-powered government apps across various sectors 1. This move coincides with growing calls from defense tech startups and VCs for increased autonomy in AI weapons, particularly in response to hypothetical scenarios involving China 1.
Researchers have discovered that some popular Chinese LLM models have government censorship embedded within them, raising concerns about data privacy and government influence. However, the global audience's reaction at Web Summit Qatar suggests that many are equally uncomfortable with the idea of US AI superpowers 12.
While Wang's pro-American stance may resonate with Scale AI's Department of Defense customers, the international reception at Web Summit Qatar demonstrates a shifting global perception. American AI companies can no longer assume that their nationality automatically confers trustworthiness in the global market 2.
Acknowledging the diverse audience at Web Summit Qatar, Wang conceded that AI technology should reflect cultural differences between various countries to a meaningful degree. This recognition highlights the complex challenge of developing globally acceptable AI systems while navigating national interests and cultural sensitivities 2.
Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang is set to meet with U.S. lawmakers and administration officials in Washington D.C. to discuss the threat posed by China's rapid advancements in AI technology, particularly in light of recent developments by Chinese startup DeepSeek.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman outlines four crucial steps for the United States to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence development, emphasizing the need for strategic action to prevent China from dominating the field.
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The AI Action Summit in Paris marks a significant shift in global attitudes towards AI, emphasizing economic opportunities over safety concerns. This change in focus has sparked debate among industry leaders and experts about the balance between innovation and risk management.
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The Paris AI Action Summit brings together world leaders and tech executives to discuss AI's future, with debates over regulation, safety, and economic benefits taking center stage.
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47 Sources
OpenAI releases a comprehensive plan urging the US government to prioritize AI funding, regulation, and infrastructure to maintain global leadership in artificial intelligence development.
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12 Sources
