Trump signs executive order to boost US-based AI development

SmartCitiesDive

by Katie Pyzyk

This executive order comes at a time when America’s tech competitiveness is called into question, especially in comparison to China’s. The order does not expressly name China, but is widely understood to take aim at the country, which two years ago unveiled a plan to become a global AI leader by 2030. The tension between the nations is notable with the back-and-forth trade war, as well as the United States’ threats and actions toward Chinese tech company Huawei, which the federal government accuses of pilfering U.S. intellectual property and trade secrets.

The American AI Initiative also tackles a common public fear about new technology: job destruction. The order encourages federal agencies to prepare the workforce with the skills needed to adapt to and embrace AI technologies. It suggests apprenticeships, fellowships, skills programs and STEM education.

Increasingly, governments at all levels find themselves seeking solutions to a changing workforce as technology and the employment space evolve at a rapid pace. Government leaders and industry experts at the Chicago Forum on Global Cities last summer held a session on workforce modernization, noting that 75% of Americans worry that… (continue reading)