Two of the biggest players in artificial intelligence, OpenAI and Google, are urging the U.S. government to take decisive action in securing America’s leadership in AI. Both companies emphasize the urgency of maintaining dominance as geopolitical rivals, particularly China, push forward with their own AI advancements.
OpenAI, in a letter to the Office of Science and Technology Policy, warned of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambition to surpass the U.S. in AI by 2030. The company advocates for a comprehensive AI Action Plan that ensures American-led AI development remains rooted in democratic principles.
Google echoed this sentiment in a separate statement, acknowledging that while America currently leads in AI, its position is not guaranteed. Both companies stress that decisive policy action is needed to retain and strengthen the U.S.’s competitive edge in artificial intelligence.
The AI Action Plan: OpenAI and Google’s Strategies to U.S. Government
Both companies proposed structured action plans, outlining the critical steps necessary to secure U.S. leadership in AI innovation.
OpenAI’s Key AI Growth Principles:
- AI intelligence grows in proportion to the logarithmic scale of computing resources used.
- AI operational costs drop by tenfold every 12 months.
- AI model improvements continue to accelerate, requiring less time to scale new capabilities.
Google’s Three-Pillar AI Strategy:
- Invest in AI Infrastructure: Address energy demands, maintain balanced export controls, and drive R&D funding.
- Accelerate Government AI Adoption: Implement AI across federal agencies through interoperable and multi-vendor AI solutions.
- Champion AI-Friendly International Policies: Develop market-driven technical standards, collaborate on national security risks, and counter restrictive AI policies abroad.
Both companies presented detailed policy suggestions to guide U.S. lawmakers in shaping AI governance:
OpenAI’s Policy Recommendations:
- Regulatory Framework: Foster public-private collaboration while ensuring AI remains free from autocratic controls.
- Export Strategy: Promote global adoption of U.S. AI technologies while safeguarding national interests.
- Copyright Policy: Protect creators’ rights while ensuring AI can continue learning from copyrighted materials.
- Infrastructure Expansion: Support the development of an AI-ready workforce and foster a thriving ecosystem of startups, labs, and enterprises.
- Government Adoption: Lead by example by deploying AI across federal institutions to maximize public benefits.
Google’s Policy Recommendations:
- Energy Policy Reform: Ensure sustainable AI growth by upgrading power grids and streamlining infrastructure permits.
- Balanced Export Controls: Protect national security while allowing U.S. AI systems to compete globally.
- Accelerated AI Research: Streamline access to computational resources and encourage public-private partnerships.
- Pro-Innovation Federal AI Laws: Prevent fragmented state regulations, ensure fair AI model training, and develop sector-specific governance frameworks.
Both OpenAI and Google warn that the U.S. must act quickly. OpenAI stressed that America’s AI leadership is narrowing, while Google underscored that policy decisions will dictate the outcome of global AI competition.
“We are in a global AI race, and policy choices will decide the winner,” Google stated. A balanced approach—one that fosters innovation while safeguarding national security—is critical to ensuring that U.S. AI leadership endures.
