Burlison Opens Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and American Prosperity

WASHINGTON-Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) delivered his opening statement at today's joint subcommittee roundtable on "Artificial Intelligence and American Power: Leadership, Security, and Prosperity." During his remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Burlison highlighted the need to close the gaps and vulnerabilities in American AI leadership and how AI can transform crucial industries like manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and defense. He also stated that growing U.S. AI capabilities will help spurn American economic growth and urged leaders to embrace it.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Burlison's remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good morning, I want to welcome everyone to this roundtable on American AI leadership hosted by the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs.

I would like to express my thanks to our panel of guests who came in today to discuss this important issue.

Today, in this informal discussion, we will focus on global AI competition, especially on how America can and must win this defining economic and national security competition of the 21st century.

I encourage our expert roundtable guests to engage in conversation with our Members, who should feel free to ask questions and chime in at any time.

Before I came to Congress, I spent years working as a software engineer and technology professional.

I have seen firsthand how quickly technology can reshape industries, economies, and lives.

Artificial intelligence is accelerating, and the nations that integrate and master it first will have significant economic and military advantages.

Whichever country dominates this competition stands to decide in large part the tech and AI rules the rest of the world must follow for generations to come.

China is not hiding its ambitions.

In 2017, the Chinese Communist Party released its national AI development plan, with a stated goal of becoming the world's primary AI innovation center by 2030.

Chinese AI models are being embedded into global infrastructure, often through open-source diffusion, into telecommunications networks, financial systems, and into the governments of developing nations who may not fully understand what they are inviting in.

Every gap in American AI leadership is a vulnerability that our adversaries are eager to exploit.

Some economists project AI could add tens of trillions of dollars to global GDP over the next decade.

It is not only industries that will be transformed, whether in manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, or defense.

It is also the lives, safety, and output of American workers and American small businesses.

If the United States does not lead in AI development and deployment, we will be importing those technologies on terms set by others.

That is unacceptable.

Fortunately, we have a President who understands this moment.

On his very first day back in office, President Trump issued an executive order revoking excessive regulatory constraints on AI development set by President Biden.

That was the right call.

Government-mandated red tape and free-speech constraints do not make AI safer, they just make American companies slower while our adversaries sprint ahead unchecked.

The Trump Administration followed that initial action by launching the Stargate Initiative, a joint public-private effort to accelerate the construction of AI infrastructure in the United States.

That means intensifying the building of data centers, power generation, and AI computing capacity on American soil, with American workers, creating American jobs.

The Administration is also clearing the way for trusted allies to access American AI technology and incorporate their technologies into the American AI export stack, a key advantage we must sustain over our adversaries.

Today we will hear from our slate of experts and discuss how America can secure a future in which our country retains in the AI lead, our people and businesses unlock their full potential, and we secure American economic prosperity for generations to come.

I believe deeply in American ingenuity and innovation.

But American AI dominance won't happen automatically.

It requires leaders who are willing to fight for American competitiveness rather than regulate it into mediocrity.

It requires leaders who want our businesses, workers, and communities to all benefit from the growth of AI.

I look forward to discussing this and more with the experts here today.

I am now pleased to introduce our roundtable guests.

First, we have Dr. Robert D. Atkinson. Dr. Atkinson is the President of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation and has been described as one of the "three most important thinkers about innovation," a "tech titan," and one of the 25 top "doers, dreamers, and drivers of information technology."

Next, we have Mr. Bark Beall, the President of Government Affairs at the AI Policy Framework. Mr. Beall served as the inaugural Pentagon AI Policy Director at the DoD Joint AI Center, co-authored a seminal report on frontier AI risks for the State Department, and provides regular commentary on AI policy for news outlets.

Next, we have Mr. Charles Crain. Mr. Crain serves as Managing Vice President of Policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. Mr. Crain previously worked for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization on financial services, tax, and health care issues; he began his career on Capitol Hill working for members of the House Financial Services and Senate Finance Committees.

Next, we have Mr. Kevin Czinger. Mr. Czinger is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Divergent Technologies, an advanced manufacturing startup that created the world's first end-to-end digital manufacturing platform enabling rapid design, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly. Headquartered in Torrance, California, Divergent is reshaping the future of defense, aerospace, and automotive production.

Next, we have Mr. Jahmy Hindman. Mr. Hindman serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer of John Deere, and is responsible for building Deere's "tech stack," the company's intuitive end-to-end equipment solution made up of hardware and devices, embedded software, connectivity, data platforms, and applications.

Next, we have Dr. Chris Mattmann. Dr. Mattman has served as the Chief Data and AI Officer for the University of California, Los Angeles. This is the first of its kind position in the University of California system. Dr. Mattman was previously the Division Manager of the Artificial Intelligence, Analytics and Innovative Development Organization at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he worked for 24 years. He is an internationally recognized expert in data science, cybersecurity, AI, informatics to multiple domains including Space Science, Earth and Planetary Science, and other industries.

Finally, we have Professor Spencer Overton. Professor Overton joins us from the George Washington University Law School, where he is the Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law and directs GW Law's Multiracial Democracy Project. Professor Overton served in the Obama Administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy at the Department of Justice.