Analysis of the US National AI Strategy: De-regulation, Innovation, and the Struggle for International Dominance

In the era of rapid technological development, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key area of global competition. Recently, the National AI strategy released by the United States has drawn widespread attention. This strategy emphasizes deregulation, accelerating innovation, increasing infrastructure investment, and striving for international dominance, which is underpinning profound strategic considerations and implications.

The United States' current AI strategy places deregulation in an important position. Previously, during the Biden administration, there were numerous regulatory measures for AI, aiming to ensure safety, privacy and fairness in the development of AI. However, the new strategy holds that these regulations have to some extent restricted the pace of AI development. From the policy recommendations submitted by OpenAI to the White House, it can be seen that the current "multi-headed legislation at the state level" brings the risk of institutional fragmentation and restrains innovation vitality. The new strategy is committed to simplifying regulation and creating a more liberal development environment for AI enterprises. For instance, it explicitly requires the simplification of licensing processes for data centers, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, and energy infrastructure projects, as well as the reduction of cumbersome environmental protection assessments. The aim is to stimulate market vitality and enable enterprises to rapidly advance the research and application of AI technology under more lenient policies.

Accelerating innovation is one of the core goals of the United States' AI strategy. The strategy sets the goal of empowering industrial transformation in manufacturing, science, defense, public services and other sectors with artificial intelligence, and calls for a unified relaxation of regulation across the United States on the empowerment of industrial transformation by artificial intelligence, sending out a signal that the government is fully supporting the empowerment of artificial intelligence in all industries. The United States is attempting to fully tap into the potential of AI in various fields through this approach, promoting industrial upgrading and transformation, and making AI a powerful engine for economic growth and competitiveness enhancement.

The development of AI cannot do without the support of strong infrastructure, and the United States also has clear plans in this regard. At present, the electricity demand for AI in the United States has accounted for 5% of the country's total electricity consumption, and the growth rate is continuously accelerating. According to the data center construction plan released by a US AI giant, the power demand for AI in the US will at least double in the next two years. To meet the demands of AI development for computing power, data storage and processing, etc., the United States has made significant investments in building AI infrastructure, including the advanced deployment of energy facilities, and even opened the green light for AI giants such as Microsoft and Meta to build their own power grids.

In the international AI competition, the United States is not willing to lag behind and strives to play a leading role. The United States is attempting to counter the global popularization of the open-source artificial intelligence ecosystem and undermine the influence of other countries in AI international governance through a combination of technology export subsidies and diplomatic threats. Signing large AI orders with Middle Eastern countries and coercing some Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian countries to stop AI cooperation with China are all part of its international AI strategic layout. The United States hopes to consolidate its advantages in the field of AI and maintain its dominant position in global technology and geopolitics through this.

However, this AI strategy of the United States also has many problems. Indulgence of AI giants may intensify the "Matthew effect" in the AI ecosystem and is not conducive to building a prosperous AI ecosystem. AI innovation should be a process involving multiple participants. Over-reliance on existing giants may inhibit the development of start-ups and other innovative forces. The practice of seeking ecological monopoly will inspire the determination of other countries to achieve technological autonomy. The EU has established a Commissioner for technological Sovereignty, clearly stating that it will not trade technological sovereignty even under the threat of the US tariff war. It has also set up the "European Sovereign Technology Fund" to support the research and development of domestic large artificial intelligence models, with the direct goal of reducing reliance on US AI giants.

The National AI strategy released by the United States is a major strategic layout for it in the AI era. By taking measures such as deregulation, accelerating innovation, infrastructure investment and competing for international dominance, it attempts to consolidate its advantages in the field of AI. However, this strategy is confronted with numerous challenges and uncertainties. Whether it can achieve its expected goals depends not only on the effective implementation of domestic policies in the United States but also on responding to the complex reactions and competition from the international community. The global AI development pattern will also continue to evolve in this process, and the competition among countries in the AI field will become more intense.