AI bigger than internet, US must maintain lead over China, says Trump

Washington, July 30 (IANS) President Donald Trump has said artificial intelligence would have a greater impact than the internet and stressed that the United States must maintain its lead over China while carefully weighing the need for regulation of the fast-evolving technology.Trump said his administration was examining possible safeguards for AI development but warned against imposing restrictions that could undermine America's competitive advantage."We're looking at AI. We're looking at controls," Trump told reporters on Wednesday (local time) in response to a question about stronger regulation of artificial intelligence."We're also making sure that we lead. So, we're leading China in AI by a lot."Trump said China was pursuing AI development with few regulatory constraints, making it essential for the United States to strike the right balance between oversight and innovation."China has virtually no controls; it's freewheeling a little bit. So, we have to be careful in both ways."He cautioned that excessive regulation could hand a strategic advantage to Beijing."We don't want to restrict them where all of a sudden, we come in second to China."The President described AI as a transformational technology whose significance would surpass previous technological revolutions."Whoever wins with AI is going to win, that's how big it is.""So, it's bigger than the internet ever was; it's bigger than anything ever was."Trump also made clear that he wanted American technology companies to continue advancing without unnecessary government intervention."So, I don't want to restrict -- I know many of these people, I don't want to restrict them from doing great work."His remarks came in response to a question citing reports about advanced ChatGPT AI models and whether the administration was considering tighter controls on artificial intelligence.Earlier during the event, Trump welcomed Nvidia founder and chief executive Jensen Huang, who attended the White House announcement on the redevelopment of Washington Dulles International Airport.Introducing Huang, Trump praised his achievements in semiconductor technology and linked them to the administration's ambitions for American infrastructure."If we can do with an airport, like he does with chips, it'll be the greatest airport anywhere in the world," Trump said.Later, while discussing investment flowing into the United States, Trump again referred to Huang, saying: "Jensen is spending a tremendous amount of money, by hundreds of billions of dollars."Artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the defining areas of technological competition between the United States and China. Both countries are investing heavily in AI research, advanced chips, cloud computing and data infrastructure, while governments increasingly view leadership in AI as critical to economic growth, military capability and national security.