The Morning Download: AI Takes National Stage With White House Meeting

China has made known its desire to become an AI powerhouse. Russia's Vladimir Putin last year equated AI dominance with ruling the world. On Thursday, the White House, a little late to the great game, hosted a meeting involving representatives from about 40 companies, including Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. as well as Ford Motor Co. and Walmart Inc., to discuss how the U.S. could maintain its lead in AI. The gathering followed a template for meetings of this type: Support was offered, 'atta-boys' were distributed. Still, the meeting acknowledged that AI, increasingly, has become tied to something larger.