The U.S. Congress Committee proposed an AI development strategy.

The bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) recently released a milestone report suggesting that Congress establish an artificial intelligence (AI) development project similar to the 'Manhattan Project' during World War II. This report is not only a strategic document but also a strategic declaration of the United States in the global technology competition, aiming to seize the commanding heights of AI development.

The report clearly points out that public-private sector collaboration will be key to advancing the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The committee recommends that the Secretary of Defense designate AI projects as the highest national priority and authorize the executive branch to enter into multi-year AI, cloud computing, and data center technology contracts. The committee emphasizes that these AGI systems will have capabilities comparable to or even superior to human intelligence, potentially surpassing human's most keen thinking in every task.

Comprehensive competition: technology, economy, and national security

China is actively developing emerging technologies including AI, quantum technology, biotechnology, and battery energy storage systems. Although the United States currently maintains a leading position in most AI-related technologies, China is rapidly closing the gap and demonstrating the ability to innovate under US and allied export controls. The commission warns that if China successfully breaks through existing technological barriers, its rapid technological progress could threaten the US economic and military advantages and potentially erode deterrence stability in the Pacific region, even altering the global balance of power.

Committee member Jacob Helberg put it bluntly, 'We have seen from history that countries that seize rapid technological change first often trigger a shift in global power structures. China is sprinting full throttle towards artificial general intelligence, and we must take this threat extremely seriously.'

Therefore, the US Department of the Treasury has implemented investment restrictions to prevent US investors from investing in technology industries that may enhance China's military or intelligence capabilities.

The technological competition of the new era

Unlike the historical Manhattan Project focusing on nuclear weapon development, the current AI 'Manhattan Project' aims to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a system with intelligence equal to or even greater than that of humans. The report suggests that Congress 'establish and fund a Manhattan Project-like effort dedicated to competing and achieving AGI capabilities'.

The energy infrastructure has become a major bottleneck for training large AI models. Helberg suggested that streamlining the permit process for data centers may be an example of how the public and private sectors can accelerate the development of AI. Technology companies such as OpenAI also call for increased government funding for artificial intelligence, demonstrating a high level of Consensus between tech giants and the government in this technological race.

The committee's report is not just a technical assessment document, but also a strategic blueprint for the United States in the emerging technology industry. In addition to AI development recommendations, the report also proposes a series of specific measures, such as abolishing trade exemptions that allow Chinese goods to be imported at low tariffs, and restricting Chinese investment in the biotechnology industry.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was established in 2000 to monitor and analyze US-China bilateral trade and economic relations. This report symbolizes the formal start of a new round of technological cold war, reshaping the international technological landscape and the changing balance of power between countries around the global competition around AI. In this escalating technological confrontation, whoever can first break through the technological barriers of AGI may dominate the future global technological and strategic landscape.

"The new Cold War! AI arms race escalates, US to revive 'Manhattan Project' to counter China" This article was first published in 'encryption city'