On this Thursday, the White House plans to host executives from Intel, Google, Facebook, Amazon and 34 other leading US companies in what appears to be an attempt to expedite the deployment of powerful algorithms, robots and the broad field of AI.
According to the event’s draft schedule, the Trump administration intends to use the meeting as an opportunity to ask AI developers, government officials and academics about various ways of adopting regulations to improve AI in areas like transportation, health care and agriculture.
Also, parties involved are expected to talk about the power of the US government in funding top-of-the-line research into technologies like machine learning.
The White House’s concerns entail striking a balance between the advantages of computers that can drive cars or detect diseases as well as the fact that people’s lives or jobs are at risk in this AI era.
The closed-door meeting will include representatives from US technology companies such as Oracle, Nvidia and Microsoft among other enterprises like United Airlines, Pfizer, Land O’Lakes and MasterCard.
According to Facebook, Jerome Pesenti, the company’s VP of AI, will be its representative in the private gathering.
Brian Kraznich and Robit Prasad, Intel’s chief executive officer and Amazon’s head scientist for Alexa consecutively, will also be in attendance.
According to the Trump administration’s estimates, the US government spent over $2 billion in unclassified projects aimed at researching and developing AI technology during the 2017 fiscal year.
Nevertheless, the reported figure does not include spending at key intelligence agencies and the Pentagon or even the additional funds requested by the White House for 2019.
Many experts may ask the Trump administration to devote new funding to boost the artificial intelligence field and assist them in competing with companies in other nations, particularly China.
The key focus here is aiding those who may end up being displaced due to automation as well as training workers to handle new technology-heavy duties.
According to Pedro Domingos, an AI researcher and University of Washington professor, tech companies previously did not have a good relationship with the Trump administration during its early months.
What’s more, President Donald Trump’s attacks on companies such as Amazon and concentration on job loss in non-technology industries only worsened the situation.
Nonetheless, the tech and science aides in the White House have over the past year tried to make their move on AI, notably by hosting top executives from companies like Google and Amazon.
This meeting happened in June after Trump showed his commitment to getting rid of the obstacles affecting new technologies.
Technology companies believe that Washington could play a vital function in educating American workers regarding the ways AI would transform employment and create new opportunities.
According to ITI’s Garfield, artificial intelligence is not about job destruction despite popular belief. He also advocated for the White House to mobilize a movement that will help in preparing the American workforce for the coming revolution.
Other experts in the technology industry think that AI is placed in the middle of a high-risk technological contest between China and the United States.
Source WashingtonPost
