MIT professors sound alarm on US falling behind on AI

The U.S. is locked in a race when it comes to advanced technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning – chiefly against China. Speaking about technological progress from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, MIT Sloan's Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee pointed out how inextricably linked the AI race is with immigration policies and government investment – and particularly the red tape that hinders smart people from coming to the U.S. AI and machine learning are thought of technologies that will fundamentally reshape productivity and growth. Companies from around the world from Amazon to Google as well as more mundane companies in manufacturing are employing these technologies. According to Accenture, within five years AI will drive "significant innovation" and "unleash new levels of human productivity and creativity." Brynjolfsson said the U.S. is still the leader in developing these modern technologies -- and commercializing them.