Will AI’s Future Be American?

This summer, China unveiled its plan for accomplishing an audacious goal the country had set for itself eight years prior: to become the dominant force in artificial intelligence by 2030. The sweeping blueprint calls for embedding AI into 90 percent of the Chinese economy, from scientific research and development to government decision-making. The Chinese Communist Party is poised to weaponize AI as a tool for centralized control and solidify its grip over every aspect of people’s lives. By 2030, the world will be transformed if China is successful in achieving its aims of defeating the United States and winning the AI race.

America cannot afford to fall behind. Thankfully, we have a playbook that works. Thirty years ago, leaders of both parties in Washington had the wisdom to adopt a light-touch approach to regulating the internet. Policymakers consciously chose to preempt state-level taxation, to reject “undue restrictions” on the nascent digital economy, and to allow Americans to experiment with this new technology. The result? Decades of American-led technological dominance and a rapid acceleration in living standards.

About the Author

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz represents Texas in the U.S. Senate and is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce.

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This summer, China unveiled its plan for accomplishing an audacious goal the country had set for itself eight years prior: to become the dominant force in artificial intelligence by 2030. The sweeping blueprint calls for embedding AI into 90 percent of the Chinese economy, from scientific research and development to government decision-making. The Chinese Communist Party is poised to weaponize AI as a tool for centralized control and solidify its grip over every aspect of people’s lives. By 2030, the world will be transformed if China is successful in achieving its aims of defeating the United States and winning the AI race.

America cannot afford to fall behind. Thankfully, we have a playbook that works. Thirty years ago, leaders of both parties in Washington had the wisdom to adopt a light-touch approach to regulating the internet. Policymakers consciously chose to preempt state-level taxation, to reject “undue restrictions” on the nascent digital economy, and to allow Americans to experiment with this new technology. The result? Decades of American-led technological dominance and a rapid acceleration in living standards.