US Commission Proposes Manhattan Project-Style Initiative for AI Development

US government commission pushes Manhattan Project-style AI initiative

(Reuters) - A U.S. congressional commission on Tuesday proposed a Manhattan Project-style initiative to fund the development of AI systems that will be as smart or smarter than humans, amid intensifying competition with China over advanced technologies. The bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's (USCC) stressed that public-private partnerships are key in advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI), but did not give any specific investment strategies as it released its annual report. The Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the U.S. government and the private sector during World War Two that produced the first atomic bombs. "We've seen throughout history that countries that are first to exploit periods of rapid technological change can often cause shifts in the global balance of power," Jacob Helberg, a USCC commissioner and senior advisor to Palantir's CEO, told Reuters. "China is racing towards AGI ... It's critical that we take them extremely seriously," Helberg added. Noting that energy infrastructure is a significant bottleneck for training large AI models, Helberg suggested that streamlining the permitting process for data centers might be an example of how a public-private partnership could accelerate AI development. ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which last week released a proposed blueprint for U.S. AI strategy, has also called for more government funding for artificial intelligence. The USCC, established by Congress in 2000, provides annual recommendations on U.S.-China relations. Known for its hawkish policy proposals, the commission aims to guide lawmakers on issues of economic and strategic competition with China. Other recommendations in this year's USCC report include repealing the de minimis trade exemption that allows Chinese goods under $800 to bypass tariffs, ending preferential capital gains treatment linked to Chinese companies on government watchlists and requiring approval of Chinese involvement in biotechnology companies operating in the U.S. (Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Nicholas Yong)

US Government Commission Pushes Manhattan Project-Style AI Initiative

China is intensifying competition over advanced technologies A US congressional commission on Tuesday proposed a Manhattan Project-style initiative to fund the development of AI systems that will be as smart or smarter than humans, amid intensifying competition with China over advanced technologies. The bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stressed that public-private partnerships are key in advancing artificial general intelligence, but did not give any specific investment strategies as it released its annual report. The Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the US government and the private sector during World War Two that produced the first atomic bombs. "We've seen throughout history that countries that are first to exploit periods of rapid technological change can often cause shifts in the global balance of power," Jacob Helberg, a USCC commissioner and senior advisor to software company Palantir's CEO, told Reuters. "China is racing towards AGI ... It's critical that we take them extremely seriously," Helberg added. Noting that energy infrastructure is a significant bottleneck for training large AI models, Helberg suggested that streamlining the permitting process for data centers might be an example of how a public-private partnership could accelerate AI development. ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which last week released a proposed blueprint for US AI strategy, has also called for more government funding for artificial intelligence. The USCC, established by Congress in 2000, provides annual recommendations on US-China relations. Known for its hawkish policy proposals, the commission aims to guide lawmakers on issues of economic and strategic competition with China. Other recommendations in this year's USCC report include repealing the de minimis trade exemption that allows Chinese goods under $800 (roughly Rs. 67,504) to bypass tariffs with minimal paperwork and inspection, ending preferential capital gains treatment linked to Chinese companies on government watchlists and requiring approval of Chinese involvement in biotechnology companies operating in the US. Commissioner Kimberly Glas said at a briefing on the report that immediate elimination of de minimis treatment for e-commerce goods was one of the most critical recommendations from the panel, given that the enormous volume of packages makes it difficult for Customs and Border Protection to stop the flow of dangerous products into the US, including fentanyl chemicals and pill presses. "Just to give you a sense of the trajectory, it's four million boxes a day, estimated to be 1.4 billion de minimis shipments over this past year, according to CBP," Glas said. "It is impossible to police what is in those boxes. "In the 1930s de minimis was created so we could bring back trinkets from abroad and not have to pay a tariff. In the e-commerce environment, it has become a funnel for Chinese products to receive duty-free, no-scrutiny treatment," she said. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have also introduced a series of bills that aim to rein in de minimis, particularly for shipments from China. But bipartisan cooperation has been elusive in a tumultuous election year, and the shipping industry and pro-trade groups have lobbied against such measures, arguing it would disrupt e-commerce. © Thomson Reuters 2024

US commission urges government funded 'AI Manhattan Project' to beat China in race for AGI

A US congressional commission - the bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review - has submitted its annual report this week, in which it urges the government to fund a 'Manhattan Project-like program' in order to beat China in the race towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The Commission highlights in its report that the US is locked in a long-term strategic competition with China to shape the evolving global technological landscape - but that the two nations are playing by different rules. For instance, General Secretary Xi Jinping, leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has prioritized non-market practices, has disregarded 'global norms', and has focused on heavily subsidising industries - such as technology - in order to become the global economic superpower. This is in contrast to the US, which has the same objective, but relies on market dynamics and global co-operation (to a degree) to achieve its goals. With an incoming President Trump, who has shown to be hostile to China's economic practices by imposing tariffs and threatening further measures during his election campaign, the prospect of racing towards AGI will likely be high on the agenda. Whether or not AGI can be achieved or not is another question, but it's clear that the US doesn't want China to get there first, if it is possible, through fear, according to the report, of how it could be used to "transform society, create new industries, foster new dependencies and alter the character of warfare". When over 1,000 US-based leaders proposed a six month pause on AI development back in 2023, following the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT, one of the main reasons it didn't hold much hope (despite its merits) is because of the geopolitical consequences. An inconvenient truth about AI development in the West is that political leaders and regulators know that if they slow down the development of AI, they risk other competing economies - those with divergent interests - developing at a faster rate. As such, AI regulation will likely largely be carried out after the fact, consequences be damned, because the risk is higher if China outpaces the US in advancing the technology. The Commission's report this week states that China is making rapid advancements and noteworthy investments in its AI capabilities. It states: It is developing AI not only to advance China's economic growth more broadly but also for military applications, such as autonomous unmanned systems, data processing, decision making, and cognitive warfare. The report highlights that the US currently leads on a number of fronts as it relates to AI, including advancing semiconductors, compute and cloud, as well as AI models - but that China is rapidly advancing on all fronts. The report states: The CCP is prioritizing research in key emerging technology areas such as AI, quantum technology, biotechnology, and batteries with the goal of becoming a world leader in science and technology. Xi is placing a bet that China's investments in high- tech industries will unleash "new quality productive forces," transcend an old growth model reliant on infrastructure and lower-technology exports, and help China achieve its goal of becoming a superpower in the 21st century. China's focus on emerging technologies is also motivated by its desire to attain self-sufficiency in what its leaders describe as "chokepoint" tech- nologies amid an international environment they perceive as increasingly hostile and to better prepare for a potential conflict with the United States over Taiwan or in other contingencies. Ultimately, the US perceives Beijing's efforts as being an attempt to tip the balance of power in its favor and "reap economic benefits far into the 21st Century". As such, the Commission is urging that Congress establish and fund a Manhattan Project-like program dedicated to racing to and acquiring an AGI capability. For clarity, the Commission defines AGI as "systems that are as good as or better than human capabilities across all cognitive domains and would surpass the sharpest human minds at every task". And the Manhattan Project was a large-scale collaboration between the US government and the private sector during WW2, competing with Nazi Germany to develop the world's first nuclear weapons. The specific actions the Commission recommends for Congress, include: Whether or not this Manhattan Project-like attempt to achieve AGI will see the light of day remains to be seen, amongst all of the changes happening in Washington DC over the next few months. However, it has the hallmarks of a project that may appeal under a Trump Presidency - a project that is potentially history-making and perceived to be rooted in competition with the US's foes. What AI looks like in decades to come is anyone's guess, but it's clear that there is fear over who will be the first to find out.