Bipartisan bill aims to ban Chinese AI from federal agencies

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has vowed to prevent Chinese artificial intelligence systems from being used in federal agencies, citing concerns about the global AI competition between the US and China. The lawmakers believe that the country that leads in AI will have a significant advantage in the future balance of power. A recent hearing on Capitol Hill highlighted the growing competition between the US and China in AI development, with China rapidly closing the performance gap. Witnesses at the hearing emphasized the importance of the US prevailing in the AI competition, citing the potential risks of authoritarian AI systems. The US is currently leading in producing top AI models, but China is catching up and leads in AI publications and patents. To maintain its lead, the US must control the flow of advanced chips to China, according to experts. Lawmakers are introducing legislation to strengthen export controls and ban Chinese AI systems in the federal government. The proposed No Adversarial AI Act would identify and ban AI systems developed by foreign adversaries, with exceptions for research and counter-terrorism. The lawmakers believe that the US must take decisive action to ensure it prevails in the AI competition, which has enormous stakes for the global political order. The competition is seen as a long-term techno-security competition that will determine the shape of the global political order for years to come.