OPINION:
The artificial intelligence revolution is upon us. At stake is nothing less than America’s continued global leadership.
From work to entertainment to family life, AI is rapidly reshaping how we interact, understand the world and make decisions. Internet searches return AI-generated results. Employers scramble to find ways to use AI tools to boost productivity and cut costs. AI, and the components necessary to run AI, are increasingly important bargaining chips in international relations and global security policy.
To stay ahead, America must be strategic on several fronts. Ensuring our nation’s success as this revolution unfolds will require forward thinking and broader coordination. Each requires deliberate long-term planning, not assumptions that market forces alone will carry the day.
First, there’s the matter of global positioning. Several AI models are competing right now for dominance in the international market. No doubt you’ve heard of the leading American models, including ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini. There’s also DeepSeek, the leading Chinese model. Unlike U.S. models, DeepSeek is backed by a centralized, state-directed system with access to vast domestic data. In many respects, the competition for better and faster AI is turning into the next space race between the U.S. and its top global competitor.
Leaders of both parties have warned that ceding ground to China would undermine long-term U.S. strategic interests. Whoever comes out on top will set the terms of AI usage and international relations for much of the next century.
Fortunately, the U.S. has a short leg up on China right now, although there’s no guarantee that will continue. It will take all our ingenuity and creativity to stay at the front of the race. It will also require an enduring solution to the problem of rare earth mineral production and a way to ease China’s stranglehold on multiple essential production channels. Key minerals — lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earths — remain heavily concentrated under Chinese control.
Second, there’s the matter of government policy. Earlier this year, the Trump administration published a three-pronged “AI Action Plan” to guide AI policy. It focuses on accelerating innovation, building infrastructure and using AI as a tool of international diplomacy and security.
Yet Congress has yet to pass a national framework. Without a federal baseline, a patchwork of state rules could create confusion for innovators and uneven protections for consumers. In the meantime, states and executive agencies are pressing forward with their own initiatives, creating a decentralized structure for this emerging technology with an overall light regulatory touch. Although this approach has worked so far, policymakers at all levels of government must stay actively involved to ensure there’s a proper balance among innovation, competition and the public interest.
Third is the question of industry leadership. No one knows where AI will ultimately take us. It could usher in a new age of productivity and economic growth, or it could create massive dislocation that benefits only a select few. For now, the industry appears to be attempting to police itself, including voluntary safety benchmarks, transparency reports and red-team testing, although it’s unclear how effective such efforts will be in the long run or how incentives might change as the global AI race heats up.
Fourth is the matter of infrastructure. AI requires massive amounts of energy. According to one study, by 2028, AI will consume as much electricity as 22% of all U.S. households. That’s just three years from now. Imagine what its energy needs will be a decade or two decades from now.
Simply put, we are going to need a parallel revolution in U.S. energy production to supply the increasing energy demands of AI. Meeting this demand will require expanded generation across nuclear, natural gas and renewables, along with major grid modernization. We cannot afford to fall behind in the AI race, and we certainly cannot afford to fall behind because we fail to plan ahead for needed energy.
Fifth is the question of how AI will affect individual sectors of the economy — and their workers. Our education and workforce systems are not prepared for the speed of change. Over the past half-century, we’ve seen a massive change in U.S. manufacturing through automation and offshoring. AI will likely bring similarly significant changes to the “knowledge” sectors of our economy.
Already, medical professionals and even patients are using AI to diagnose and treat disease. Law offices are using it to speed document review and legal research, and banks and financial advisers are using it to make investment decisions. The tech industry is in upheaval right now as many previous entry-level jobs are being taken over by AI.
Even as we think about AI from a 30,000-foot perspective, we must not lose sight of how it will impact individual jobs. It will do us little good to win the global race for AI dominance if we fail to prepare our workers for the job market that’s coming. A national strategy for reskilling, apprenticeships and K-12 modernization will be essential.
We may not know where the AI revolution is headed, but we know we need to be ready for it and be strategic about preparing ourselves for the changes ahead. The next few years will determine whether AI strengthens or weakens America’s economic and strategic position. America has always been the leader in innovation. By acting strategically now, we can ensure this revolution is one more step along our continued journey of national success.
• Matt Sandgren is executive director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.
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