Top executives from OpenAI, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) are set to testify before the U.S. Senate on Thursday, urging lawmakers to support American leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) as competition with China heats up.
The Senate Commerce Committee, led by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, is holding the hearing to explore ways the U.S. can maintain an edge in AI development. Lawmakers are also considering cutting regulations that may be slowing innovation.
This push comes after Chinese AI firm DeepSeek surprised global tech leaders last year with a high-performing and affordable AI model. The breakthrough raised concerns in Washington and sparked renewed calls from U.S. tech companies for policies that support homegrown AI advancements.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI—the maker of ChatGPT—is among the tech leaders expected to speak. He will be joined by Microsoft President Brad Smith and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
In his prepared remarks, Altman is expected to argue that AI can bring major benefits to society, but only if the U.S. leads its development based on democratic principles. “This future can be almost unimaginably bright,” he will say, “but only if we take concrete steps to ensure that an American-led version of AI, built on democratic values like freedom and transparency, prevails over an authoritarian one.”
AI systems depend on advanced computer chips, massive datasets, significant energy resources, and highly trained workers. Smith is expected to emphasize that the U.S. must support every part of this ecosystem and work closely with international partners to stay ahead.
DeepSeek, based in Hangzhou, gained global attention by launching an AI model that rivaled those from OpenAI and Meta (NASDAQ: META), but with lower operational costs. The launch came despite strict U.S. restrictions, introduced under President Joe Biden, to block China from accessing advanced AI chips. These policies aim to prevent Beijing from using AI to strengthen its military.
The Trump administration has continued with similar restrictions. Just last month, it imposed new licensing rules on AI chip shipments to China, targeting chips made by Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and AMD that were designed to bypass earlier export bans.
However, some lawmakers and tech leaders argue that these measures hurt U.S. companies and could give Chinese firms, like Huawei, with its Ascend AI chip, an advantage in the growing global market.
Senator Cruz warned against burdensome regulation, saying, “The way to beat China in the AI race is to outpace them in innovation, not saddle AI developers with European-style regulations.”
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