Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jul 3: US President Donald Trump has described artificial intelligence (AI) as a technology more transformative than the internet, saying the United States must retain its lead over China in what he called one of the most important strategic competitions of the future.
In an interview with CNBC, Trump said AI would have a far greater long-term impact than previous technological revolutions and argued that the nation leading its development would secure a decisive global advantage.
"AI is bigger than the internet," Trump said.
"I've never seen anything like it. The internet was a big deal, but I think this is much bigger."
He asserted that the United States currently enjoys a significant lead in AI development over China and other countries.
"I really think whoever is number one is going to win the race, and right now we're substantially number one. We're leading substantially in AI over China and everybody else," he said.
Trump also highlighted the massive energy demands of the rapidly expanding AI sector, saying the industry would require the country to dramatically increase electricity generation.
According to him, his administration addressed the challenge by allowing companies investing in AI infrastructure to build their own power generation facilities.
"We need double the energy and double the electricity we have right now just for the AI industry," he said.
"I let companies building these multi-billion-dollar facilities construct their own electricity-generating plants."
Trump claimed the policy had played a crucial role in maintaining America's competitive edge, arguing that without it the United States would have fallen behind in the AI race.
On regulating artificial intelligence, the President advocated a limited but targeted approach, saying innovation should not be burdened by excessive restrictions.
"You need some guard rails, but you want to do as little as possible," he said, adding that his administration would intervene swiftly whenever AI technologies posed security risks.
"When we think there's a bad player or there's some danger, we stop the player quickly and effectively," he said.
Trump also linked AI leadership to efforts to revive semiconductor manufacturing within the United States, saying major chipmakers are investing heavily in domestic production facilities, particularly in Arizona.
He predicted that the country would significantly expand its share of global semiconductor manufacturing during his presidency.
"We're going to have 40, 50, maybe even 60 per cent of the world's chips by the time—or close to the time—I leave office," he said.
Trump argued that the United States had previously ceded much of its semiconductor manufacturing capacity to Asian economies, particularly Taiwan, with South Korea also emerging as a major producer.
Referring to efforts to support struggling American chipmaker Intel, Trump disclosed that his administration had sought an equity stake as part of its assistance.
"I told them I could solve the problem, but I wanted 10 per cent of the company," he said, claiming the move had generated substantial value within months.
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a key area of strategic competition between the United States and China, with both countries making significant investments in advanced computing, semiconductor manufacturing and AI technologies, which are increasingly viewed as critical to economic competitiveness, national security and global technological leadership.