The Trump Administration Can't Stop China From Becoming an AI Superpower

Last Thursday, Texas senior senator John Cornyn stood before an audience of wonks at the Council for Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, and warned that America's openness to investors looking for new ideas in technologies like artificial intelligence was putting it in danger. "Most of what China wants to invest in these days is leading-edge US technology that's a key to our future military capabilities," he said. "Unless the trend line changes, we may one day see some of these technologies incorporated in China-made equipment that can be used against our country in the event, heaven forbid, of a military conflict." Cornyn highlighted China's interest in robotics and artificial intelligence as particularly concerning. His warning--and pledge to introduce legislation that could restrict Chinese investment in technology companies--came the week after Reuters reported, citing unidentified Trump administration officials, that the administration is considering a similar policy, also motivated in part by fears of China gaining access to valuable AI knowledge. However, Cornyn's diagnosis and proposed cure could lead to a result opposite to the intended one.