The Return of a Sober, Positive View of Artificial Intelligence
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Optimism is alive and well as we start 2025. Exhibit A is the sober and positive assessment, rooted in facts, that leaders are taking towards AI, Artificial Intelligence.

President-elect Donald Trump has shared his vision of an economic “golden age” with the U.S. as “the clear global leader” in AI. On January 7, he introduced a businessman from the United Arab Emirates who will invest $20 billion in the U.S. to build data centers.

The President-elect has also appointed David Sacks as White House A.I. & Crypto Czar. An extraordinarily successful entrepreneur and venture capitalist from Silicon Valley, Sacks views President-elect Trump’s approach to AI as significantly different from the Biden Administration.

In a December 6 tweet, Sacks applauded the discussion that fellow venture capitalist Marc Andreessen had with podcaster Joe Rogan regarding attempts by the Biden Administration to capture AI with regulations, in effect stunting its evolution in the private sector.

Sacks said, “On the @joerogan podcast, @pmarca explained the dystopian path we were on with AI. But the timeline split and we’re on a different path now.”

Another powerful reflection of AI optimism is the December 17 report by the Bipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence. Comprised of 24 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans from committees with AI jurisdictional responsibilities, the report is thorough and well documented. Its 85 recommendations are based on interviews with industry, government, civil society, and academia experts.

The report says, “AI has tremendous potential to transform society and our economy for the better and address complex national challenges. From optimizing manufacturing to developing cures for grave diseases, AI can greatly boost productivity, enabling us to achieve our objectives more quickly and cost-effectively.”

Related to the severe recent impact of food inflation, the report says, “AI advancements have the potential to increase food availability, lower food prices, and bolster economic growth.”

In addition, the report examines ways AI can be misused and the harm it can cause, while urging “a thoughtful, risk-based approach to AI governance” through “a combination of technical and policy solutions.”

It says, “For every problem that AI creates, AI can be a candidate for helping to remediate or solve that problem. While technological solutions are not always possible, their use in AI policy should be borne in mind as policy is developed.”

AI is also playing an essential and growing role in fighting the existing challenges of cyberattacks on government agencies and private businesses.

As the bipartisan House report says, “AI already has a growing role in identifying, mitigating, and responding to threat actors and cybersecurity incidents. This is largely due to AI’s ability to rapidly process large datasets, detect subtle patterns, and adapt to new threats, resulting in ‘a powerful level of efficiency and continuous learning that complements human capabilities’ and acts as a force multiplier.”

The growing optimism in AI also stems from its widespread use and adoption in 2024, for business and personal uses. AI is already extensively used on mobile phones, such as for mapping routes, in devices that are part of the Internet of Things, online shopping, and much more. The applications of AI are staggering, be it in the fields of health, agriculture, finance, or many others.

With established tech firms, venture capital funds, and many others making dramatic investments in AI, the optimism for America to remain the world’s technology leader for 2025 and beyond is quite well founded. And refreshing to hear. 

Paul Steidler is a Senior Fellow with the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank based in Arlington, Virginia. 

 



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