Is the US-China AI Race a Zero-sum Game?

Eric Schmidt tells Bob Safian the AI race is not a zero-sum game, and that China is not an enemy. Competitors can still create a whole new market. The best case he describes is a practical conversation between US and Chinese elites about how to manage the technology. He says that conversation is not possible in the current political environment.

One rule he would put on the list is no surprises. In his Pentagon work, a country that launches a missile notifies the others. They check that the launch matches what was announced, and they train their own systems on it. Those decisions were made 50 years ago so a launch is not a mystery. He wants a similar list of collaborations aimed at human flourishing.

AI, in his account, is the basis of scientific progress. That progress creates wealth, and wealth creates opportunity and wellbeing. He still wants the lead to belong to America.