Federal R&D investments serve as foundation for US becoming AI-ready

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, in its final report to Congress and the Biden administration last year, warned artificial intelligence will soon become "weapons of first resort in future conflicts." That warning, as well as the commission's recommendation for the federal government to increase spending on basic research and development, remains urgent for the U.S. to remain AI-ready in the coming years, even though the commission no longer remains. The commission disbanded in October 2021, but many of its leading experts have shifted to a private-sector entity, the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP). The name stems from the Rockefeller Special Studies Project, launched in 1956 by Nelson Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger following the Soviet Union's launch of the satellite Sputnik. SCSP chief executive officer Ylli Bajraktari, NSCAI's former executive director, said Rockefeller and Kissinger saw their project as a way for the U.S. to further define its national objectives when it came to defense, security and foreign policy. "This is not the first time that we're seeing technology playing a critical role in great power competition," Bajraktari said.