GOP Rep. Moran: We Have Leverage for AI Deal on China, They Depend on Our Chips

On Monday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) said that while China won’t willingly make an AI deal, China is dependent “on our technology, particularly our chips. So, we can certainly influence that position right now. And we should be engaging in those discussions, no question.”

Moran began by saying that the first priority needs to be winning the A.I. race with China. And that now is a bad time to legislate due to the election being imminent, emotions running high, and a lack of knowledge among members of Congress.

He added that the private sector has done a good job at self-regulating and will be able to keep up with developments in a way that Congress can’t, but Congress should have some rules in place.

After the discussion turned to China, Moran said, “I don’t think they’re going to play ball willingly. But, right now, we have the position of strength, and we certainly should be engaging in talks with China. Just like when you go back to the Cold War, when the United States was engaging with the Soviet Union on ICBMs and nuclear weapons, we wanted to make sure that we were talking with our adversary on a technology that could be very dangerous and making sure that we are in agreement on how to preserve safety for all of humanity. We certainly should be doing that with China. And we have a position of strength right now, because they are dependent on — for their AI stack on our technology, particularly our chips. So, we can certainly influence that position right now. And we should be engaging in those discussions, no question.”

He added that the U.S. should “continue” to impose its will on China on AI.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett