What is 'Manhattan Projects' for AI military tech?
Trump allies draft AI order to launch ‘Manhattan Projects’ for defense
Hey Everyone,
This Newsletter is on break, but I need to mention a developing story that could impact BigTech.
I wanted to break rank a bit and talk about the intersection of AI, political and National defense we are likely to see in the next U.S. political cycle.
The Washington Post is getting active on this topic with this important scoop this week.
Trump allies draft AI order to launch ‘Manhattan Projects’ for defense
What would a “Manhattan Project” for AI and National Defense even look like? Trump’s next term might break down some AI regulations, while adding more Surveillance Capitalism like authoritarian AI to the American system. A former NSA leader going to the board of OpenAI reflects this trend.
The geopolitical tension with China could be used to reshape the future of AI in the United States.
If reports are true, Trump allies are reportedly drafting plans for an executive order on AI.
Wes Roth on this “Manhattan Project”
The order could lead to "Manhattan Projects" for AI military tech, according to The Washington Post.
The plan is to make America first in AI. With BigTech this has already been occurring for years with Microsoft, Amazon and Google getting more and more close with the Pentagon and National defense interests. BigTech and Washington with lobbying are also very tied together. If the Washington Post leans left, what does this news even mean? Major donors in Silicon Valley mean Venture Capital will be aligned with AI regulation in the U.S. A second Trump term might upend a lot of the work the Biden Administration has done in the regulatory space.
The framework would also create “industry-led” agencies to evaluate AI models and secure systems from foreign adversaries, according to a copy of the document viewed exclusively by The Washington Post.
Silicon Valley is promoting Trump now because there’s an alliance behind the scenes that suit their financial incentives. Elon Musk supports Trump, but Trump doesn’t seem to get along with Mark Zuckerberg. All of this politics is starting to matter more for the future of BigTech.
Agencies will be created to study AI models and protect them from foreign powers, the report said.
The Post noted that the framework also contains a section called "Make America First in AI," which aligns with the 2016 Trump Administration's commitment to "strengthening American leadership" in the field. This will mean more corporate partnerships with National Defense and a likely increased National defense budget, while spending less on foreign affairs intervention and more on internal and border issues.
Employees from the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit led by Trump’s former chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow and other ex-Trump officials, have been involved in the effort. BigTech is clearly lobbying Trump’s team fairly successfully.
This is also the American version of a bribe. Venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz plan to make significant donations to political action committees supporting Donald Trump for president. Let’s call it what it is. VCs and BigTech can buy influence with various levers to pull.
The China hawks like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt have clearly gotten their agenda perma stamped in Washington. His drone war company is innovating now in Estonia and directly working with the Ukraine. National Defense and AI might have a fairly dark side made in America. The U.S. pressuring Taiwan for more payments for help is thus likely, even forcing TSMC into special favors.
With Biden looking like he will have to resign, Trump is seeing as the next POTUS by much of Silicon Valley. “We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology,” the GOP platform says. America is already the wild-wild west in AI regulation, so this is fairly dangerous for the evolution of military AI systems. Silicon Valley Techno-optimism just means doing what Silicon Valley’s most powerful VC funds want. Meanwhile China is doing a lot in AI and faster than the rest of the world.