US must win AI race as China gains ground: 'Lead is not as big as it once was,' OpenAI exec warns

OpenAI’s Chris Lehane is warning of America’s shrinking lead in the artificial intelligence space as the company releases its economic blueprint and policy proposals for the U.S.

During his appearance on "Varney & Co.," Monday, Lehane, OpenAI vice president of global affairs, argued that the U.S. must "absolutely" win in the A.I. space, highlighting the key components listed in the company’s newly unveiled blueprint. 

"We have a lead. That lead is not as big as it once was versus China," he said.

On Monday, OpenAI publicized its A.I. in America: OpenAI's Economic Blueprint, which focuses on A.I. in national security, the state’s "vital role" in "maximizing A.I.’s benefits from the start" and infrastructure.

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Lehane explained that the blueprint will not only help secure America’s lead in the race but also support the "economic opportunity that a country can get" from technology.

"At the federal government level, can we have clear guidance, a coherent strategy when it comes to national security?" he posited.

He went on to add how the country can leverage A.I. in order to lead at the state level.

"States can be laboratories of democracy to really lean in and benefit from what this technology can do," Lehane said.

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"There’s a lot of conversations about how we grow talent in this country. States can really play a significant role in that," he expressed.

Finally, the last piece listed in the blueprint is infrastructure.

"People have said infrastructure is destiny. We need chips. We need data. We need energy," he stressed.

The blueprint document echoes Lehane’s comments, stating "we believe that building enough infrastructure is not just vital for ensuring that A.I. around the world is based on US rather than China-based technology – it’s an unmissable opportunity to catalyze a reindustrialization of the U.S." 

"You know, Vladimir Putin, who’s not someone that I would typically quote, has talked about the fact that whoever wins the race between the U.S. and China wins the world," Lehane pointed out.

He explained that China "has made [it] clear" that they want to be the dominant player in A.I. by 2030 and that within the last 4 or 5 weeks, the A.I. systems coming out of the country "demonstrate that they have really accelerated their progress." 

"We're at a moment now, given the race that we're at, which we absolutely have to win, I do believe we will win. But to guarantee that we win, we need to think big, we need to act big, and we need to build big. This country has done that before," Lehane said.

As the U.S. prepares for new leadership, Lehane expressed excitement about potentially working with President-elect Trump.

"President-elect Trump has made [it] really clear his perspective on A.I. It is to make sure that America wins on the national security piece and wins on the economic competitive piece," he explained. 

"We understand as the premier innovator in this space, that we need to be part of that and have made clear that we want to be supportive of reaching his goals," he said. 

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