We’ve all seen the alarmist headlines, from “China Is Nationalizing Its Tech Sector” and “Worried About Big Tech? Chinese Giants Make America’s Look Tame,” to, more ominously, “As China Marches Forward on A.I., the White House Is Silent.” But even taking these stories with substantial grains of salt, one fact remains clear: China would very much like to overtake America across the spectrum of information technology, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing and beyond. If the United States wants to remain the world leader in digital technology—and keep China from nipping at our heels—we’ll have to step up our own fragmented public information technology research and development (R&D) efforts.
The above excerpt was originally published in The American Prospect.
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