The Atlantic Council’s Commission on AI released far-reaching findings and recommendations today, with the aim of nothing less than ensuring that the United States and its allies shape a global shift on par with the Industrial Revolution—impacting economies, societies, warfighting, geopolitics, and humanity itself.
The commission, on which I served, is comprised of senior leaders from government, academia, and industry (whose companies represent roughly a quarter of US stock market value and nearly $18 trillion in market capitalization). Its observations are worth reading in their entirety as a roadmap to a future in which the United States shapes the trajectory of AI alongside global partners to harness the transformative potential of the technology while actively managing its risks. The commission’s six areas of focus, all of which are fundamental to continued US leadership, include: advancing AI innovation and adoption, building the talent base, implementing effective governance, safeguarding critical supply chains, meeting AI’s power needs, and working in concert with allies and partners.
Most striking for me, however, were the commission’s findings about the American public’s increasing misgivings regarding AI, especially acute among young Americans, and the impact that distrust could have on the US ability to counter authoritarian adversaries’ efforts to leverage AI for national control and international influence.
