Where U.S. Has to Do Better on AI to Compete With China: Brookings’ West
GoLocal Business Team
Where U.S. Has to Do Better on AI to Compete With China: Brookings’ West
In fact, Nicolas Chaillan, who had worked at the Pentagon since 2018, called the U.S.’ AI capabilities’ “kindergarten level,” in an interview, reports Business Insider.
Now, Brookings’ Vice President and Director of Governance Studies Darrell West — who is also a Senior Fellow a Brookings’ Center for Technology Innovation — is refuting the claims by Chaillan that the U.S. is currently behind China in terms of AI capabilities.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHowever, West — who previously served as Director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University — is warning that America could easily fall behind if it doesn’t address several key areas.
West on America's AI Needs
“I don't think the U.S. is years behind China on AI. We still have many of the most innovative AI companies and the world looks to America for new AI applications,” West told GoLocal this week.
In 2020, West published Turning Point about the need for officials to address public policy surrounding artificial intelligence.
WATCH: Public Policy is Crucial in AI Moving Forward: West on New Book “Turning Point” LIVE
“The only area where I would worry is our relatively small number of STEM graduates, which fuel longterm innovation,” said West. “We need more scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in order to continue to do well with technology.”
“Right now, many native-born Americans do not want to study technical fields and in conjunction with a tougher stance on immigration, we are not welcoming foreign-born engineers that have helped the United States develop new technologies in the past,” he added. “We have to do better in this area or China will overtake America in the future on AI.”
In February, consultants McKinsey released a report on “The Future of Work After COVID-19” — with warned that the pandemic “may propel faster adoption of automation and AI, especially in work arenas with high physical proximity.”
“In our global survey of 800 senior executives in July 2020, two-thirds said they were stepping up investment in automation and AI either somewhat or significantly. Production figures for robotics in China exceeded pre-pandemic levels by June 2020,” wrote McKinsey.
“Many companies deployed automation and AI in warehouses, grocery stores, call centers, and manufacturing plants to reduce workplace density and cope with surges in demand,” they added. “The common feature of these automation use cases is their correlation with high scores on physical proximity, and our research finds the work arenas with high levels of human interaction are likely to see the greatest acceleration in adoption of automation and AI.”