As the saying goes, April showers bring … more CSET recognition. Since last month’s edition, CSET experts and their research have weighed in on national security and technology covering topics from semiconductors supply chains to maintaining U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence. 

The Hill

Is there an AI talent shortage in the United States? Research Fellow Diana Gehlhaus made the case in an op-ed for The Hill that this country should prioritize growing, cultivating, and attracting the highest tier of AI talent. In research published last week, Gehlhaus and coauthor Ilya Rahkovksy noted that a lack of good data on the nation’s AI workforce limits the potential effectiveness of policies meant to increase and cultivate this cadre of talent. The authors bridge that information gap with new analysis on the state of the U.S. AI workforce, along with insight into the ongoing concern over AI talent shortages. Their findings suggest some segments of the AI workforce are more likely than others to be experiencing a supply-demand gap.

Council on Foreign Relations

Policymakers have had their eye on China’s sprawling Belt and Road Initiative for years, pointing to its growth as a potential source of economic and security risks to the United States. In order for this country to sustain its competitive advantage against China, the Council on Foreign Relations proposes immigration reform as one catalyst for change among several factors. Citing Research Fellow Remco Zwetsloot’s brief, Keeping Top AI Talent in the United States, CFR highlighted the importance of attracting and retaining top talent from abroad, particularly within the field of AI, if the United States wants to maintain its edge in the high tech industry. 

Wired

Intel announced it would spend $20 billion to build new chip manufacturing facilities to maintain U.S.  competitiveness in the semiconductor industry. “It’s good news for the United States that Intel is doubling down on its manufacturing business,” explained Saif M. Khan, a CSET Research Fellow specializing in semiconductors and trade policy, to Wired. “Chip manufacturing is a key source of U.S. economic competitiveness and is also highly relevant to national security.” 

China Tech Threat

The significance that semiconductor supply chain export controls play in national security was the subject of an article in China Tech Threat that also featured Saif Khan. “It is important for policymakers to have a deep understanding of both the complexities of export control regulations as well as the relevant technologies and supply chains to ensure export controls are crafted in a targeted way to achieve their intended security goals while minimizing collateral effects,” Khan observed. China’s Progress in Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment: Accelerants and Policy Implications by Khan, William Hunt and Dahlia Peterson, offers recommendations for the Bureau of Industry and Service to meet U.S. national security goals and reduce China’s leverage in supply chains. 

Politico

Research Fellow Rita Konaev has been named an adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, a position she will hold alongside her full-time role with CSET. Politico took note of her new role in its Morning Tech newsletter. Konaev, who specializes in the military aspects of artificial intelligence, is the author most recently of the issue brief Trusted Partners, which was featured in a story in Wired. 

The Data Exchange Podcast

How does research break out from within the research community and into the public consciousness? CSET Data Research Assistant Simon Rodriguez joined The Data Exchange podcast to talk about his publications Comparing Corporate and University Publication Activity in AI/ML and Patent Landscape for Computer Vision: United States and China. Rodriguez discussed centers of AI innovation, and how research shapes public consciousness and technology policy.

Frontiers

CSET’s Ilya Rahkovsky, Autumn Toney and Dewey Murdick, along with Richard Klavans and Kevin Boyack, analyzed artificial intelligence and machine learning research portfolios of six different government-sponsored research organizations in Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics. Drawing from 127,000 research clusters, they characterize the AI and ML portfolios of each organization to uncover key insights for portfolio management decision making. 

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