The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade on May 21 held a hearing on “AI Regulation and the Future of U.S. Leadership.” Witnesses included the Chamber’s Senior Vice President for International Regulatory Policy and Antitrust Sean Heather; Adam Thierer, Senior Fellow at R Street Institute; Marc Bhargava, Managing Director at General Catalyst; and Amba Kak, Co-Executive Director at AI Now Institute.
Heather, other witnesses, and committee members warned against the rush to regulate and the need to avoid the heavy-handed regulatory approach of the EU, expressing concerns over the emergence of a domestic state-by-state patchwork of varying regulatory regimes. The hearing took place against the backdrop of the recently proposed moratorium on state AI regulation that is part of the recently passed House reconciliation bill.
Competition with China: On U.S.-China technological competition, Reps. Russ Fulcher (R-ID) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) expressed concern over PRC industrial policy programs, including the Made in China 2025 initiative, and asked witnesses whether they are confident the United States can maintain its lead in AI development.
Heather commented that the U.S. private sector investment in AI is 12 times that of China and that the United States has 40 foundational AI models compared to China’s 15—while also warning that the United States cannot rest on its laurels.
Bhargava expressed confidence that the United States has maintained its lead over China in AI development, assessing that Chinese AI models “are 85-90% the way there” to U.S. models. He also underscored that the United States has an advantage over China when it comes to attracting foreign talent.
Setting the Standard: Separately, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) argued that the United States must shape global norms pertaining to AI development and implementation to ensure that Beijing’s model of surveillance and censorship is not adopted worldwide.
Meanwhile, Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) urged lawmakers to ensure the United States has sufficient energy infrastructure to support its AI sector amid competition with Chinese industry counterparts.
For further information, please contact Senior Vice President for International Regulatory Policy and Antitrust Sean Heather (sheather@uschamber.com).