Following a significant hearing on artificial intelligence (AI) competition with the Chinese Communist Party, Chairman Moolenaar (R-Mich.) has addressed the Department of Commerce with a letter proposing a framework to enhance American AI development. This initiative aims to prevent the People's Republic of China from dominating the global AI ecosystem.
Chairman Moolenaar's "America First AI Policy" was initially introduced at the Special Competitive Studies Project AI + Expo earlier this month. In his letter, Moolenaar emphasized, "It is not only China’s ability to build frontier AI that poses a threat—it is also who the Chinese are willing to share these immense capabilities with." He highlighted potential risks such as non-state actors using AI to create bioweapons targeted at Americans.
The proposed framework consists of eight parts:
1. **AI Diplomacy**: Encouraging high-income partners to invest in U.S. infrastructure and involving lower-income partners in replacing China in the AI supply chain.
2. **Location Verification for Advanced Chips**: Mandating city- or state-level reporting for advanced chips, with manufacturers required to notify the Department of Commerce if tampered with or diverted to China.
3. **U.S. Control Over Compute Infrastructure**: Limiting overseas location of U.S. advanced compute capacity and ensuring minimal hosting in non-U.S. treaty ally countries.
4. **Agreements Based on Compute Power**: Framing agreements by computational power rather than chip count per year.
5. **Prohibition of PRC Access**: Banning Chinese-origin semiconductors and equipment from advanced AI data centers and restricting access by Chinese nationals or entities.
6. **Security Standards at Overseas Data Centers**: Implementing robust security measures including cyber, physical, and personnel security.
7. **Frontier Model Weights Under U.S. Jurisdiction**: Training all frontier models within the United States due to their sensitive nature.
8. **Strategic Alignment from Partners**: Ensuring nations benefiting from American AI do not support PRC military agreements or basing.
Moolenaar's framework underscores the strategic importance of AI technology amid growing tensions between the U.S. and China, described as a new Cold War centered around technological advancements.
The letter is part of ongoing efforts by the Select Committee to address concerns over China's appropriation of U.S. innovation and its potential use in advancing Beijing's military capabilities.
Earlier this week, a hearing titled "Authoritarians and Algorithms: Why U.S. AI Must Lead" was held, focusing on China's AI development and its implications for America's technological future. During this session, bipartisan legislation known as the "No Adversarial AI Act" was announced, aimed at preventing U.S. agencies from utilizing AI developed by companies linked to foreign adversaries like China.
