Opinion China's application of AI should be a Sputnik moment for the U.S. But will it be?

A conference here to gather American business and military experts to discuss the coming revolution in artificial intelligence was a good Election Day measure of the challenges ahead to maintain the U.S. competitive edge. Corporate and government leaders agree that China's rapid application of AI to business and military problems should be a "Sputnik moment" to propel change in America. As a top-down command economy, China is directing money and its best brains to develop the smart systems that will operate cars, planes, offices and information -- along with the transformation of warfare. The United States is struggling to respond to this world-changing challenge. What's underway is frail and exists mostly on paper.