Eric Schmidt warns China will overtake US in AI by 2025

Alphabet boss Eric Schmidt has warned the Chinese are poised to erase a key American advantage -- and says the Trump administration is helping them. 'I'm assuming our [U.S.] lead will continue over the next five years and then that China will catch up extremely quickly,' the Google leader told the Center for New American Security's Paul Scharre at the Artificial Intelligence & Global Security Summit on Wednesday, according to Defense One. Schmidt, who also chairs the Defense Innovation Advisory Board, said the key difference was the importance the Chinese government put on AI - and slammed Donald Trump's administration for falling behind. Schmidt said the key difference was the importance the Chinese government put on AI - as slammed Donald Trump's administration for slashing funds for basic science and research. 'We need to get our act together, as a country…This is the moment when the [U.S.] government collectively, and private industry, needs to say, 'these technologies are important.'