US Falling Behind in AI Arms Race, Warns Congressman Seth Moulton
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a topic of concern for Congressman Seth Moulton, who believes that the United States is falling behind other countries in what he refers to as an AI arms race. As a military veteran himself, Moulton recognizes the potential benefits of AI for the US but is equally worried about the dangers it poses when in the hands of adversaries.
Speaking in an interview with MassLive, Moulton expressed doubt that Congress would be able to keep pace with the rapidly evolving AI industry in terms of regulation. Instead, he suggests focusing on regulating the most dangerous potential uses of AI, known as the edge cases, to ensure the safety of this emerging technology.
The military application of AI is one of Moulton’s major concerns. While acknowledging its potential benefits for troops on the battlefield, he fears that the slow adoption of AI by the United States could leave the country vulnerable to adversaries who are already ahead in the race. Moulton emphasized this point in an op-ed he wrote for the Boston Globe, stating that if the US falls short in the AI arms race, another nation will set the moral boundaries for its use, making it difficult to regain control.
Congressman Moulton, a prominent figure on the House Armed Services Committee, has been pushing the Department of Defense to accelerate the adoption of AI technology. In a report called The Future of Defense Task Force which he authored in 2020, Moulton highlighted the need for the US to embrace emerging technologies like AI to keep up with economic and national security threats posed by countries such as China and Russia.
Moulton is not alone in his concerns. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida also expressed worries about the US lagging behind in adopting AI technology. In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Rubio noted that China, Iran, and the Kremlin have already started leveraging AI, potentially using it for propaganda or even mimicking government leaders.
Highlighting the urgency, Moulton’s colleague Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts has filed several amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would prohibit the use of AI in the military, including in nuclear launch decisions. Markey stressed the need to keep AI away from the nuclear button to prevent a new kind of nuclear threat.
While the Department of Defense has updated its autonomous weapons directive to align with AI ethics principles, Moulton believes that both domestic and international agreements are necessary to regulate the use of AI. He suggests that a global agreement or something similar to the Geneva Convention might be required to address this issue effectively.
As the US strives to maintain its competitive edge in the AI arms race, policymakers and lawmakers alike are grappling with the challenge of striking the right balance between harnessing AI’s benefits and safeguarding against its potential risks. The concerns raised by Congressman Moulton and his counterparts highlight the need for proactive measures, international collaboration, and ethical guidelines to ensure responsible development and use of AI technology.
