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White House AI summit signals U.S. leadership in competitive industry

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Jeff Tyson

The White House is today holding a summit dedicated to the future of artificial intelligence, and will include representatives from companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Ford and Boeing. The gathering signals U.S. commitment to artificial intelligence at a time when other countries are boosting their own investments, according to an AI expert at Cornell University.


Bart Selman

Professor of Computer Science

Bart Selman is a professor of computer science at Cornell University and director of the Intelligent Information Systems Institute. He says today’s AI summit is an encouraging sign that the U.S. can maintain its leadership role in the industry.
 

Selman says:

“The White House meeting is a welcome sign demonstrating that the U.S. is considering the rapid developments in AI an issue of national interest. The U.S. has always been a leader in AI research and development but other countries are now catching up fast with heavy investments from governments and industry.

“China, the U.K., France, and Canada, among others, all have made major national funding commitments to grow their AI research and development capabilities. An important component of these efforts is the training and education of new AI talent. Nevertheless, the U.S. with its unique strengths in AI in both industry and academia should be able to maintain its leadership role, especially with a close coordination between industry and government initiatives. The White House meeting is an encouraging step in this direction.”

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