Top Republican talks AI arms race: 'You'll have machines competing with each other'

EXCLUSIVE: A top House Republican is warning that the U.S. needs to stay ahead of China, Russia and other adversaries in the race to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) space, particularly with regard to the military. 

"We’ve got to develop it. It’s got to be managed," Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, told Fox News Digital when asked how the U.S. military could lead the AI sphere.

Palmer suggested the integration of AI with quantum computing would be a significant part of military development going forward.

"What that does just by itself – the ability to analyze a situation on the ground or in the air and have an almost instantaneous countermeasure or attack. That's what quantum computing does," Palmer said.

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Rep. Gary Palmer spoke with Fox News Digital about his concerns with AI development in the U.S.

"If you combine that with AI, you're basically – you will have machines competing with each other, making decisions in nanoseconds." 

Asked if that kind of future concerned him, Palmer said, "Well yeah, that’s what our enemies are trying to develop."

"Just a couple of decades ago, we didn't think artificial intelligence was on the horizon like it is now. It's not only a concept now, it is being implemented," he continued. "I don't want to start trying to figure out what to do after it's done. I'd rather be thinking about it before it’s actually a reality."

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Palmer raised alarms about China using AI in the disputed waters. In this handout photo, a Chinese ship uses water cannons on a Philippine navy-operated supply boat in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (Philippine Coast Guard via AP)

He raised those same concerns at an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on AI last week, stating, "Whoever controls artificial intelligence and quantum computing will control the battlefield."

Palmer criticized President Biden for declaring at a September U.N. meeting that countries must work together to use AI as "tools of opportunity," arguing that China would "only be more aggressive" on AI as time went on.

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Biden said at the time, "We will push back on aggression and intimidation and defend the rules of the road, from freedom of navigation to overflight to a level economic playing field that have helped safeguard security and prosperity for decades. But we also stand ready to work together with China on issues where progress hinges on our common efforts."

President Biden has also charted a course for an AI framework. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"I think most Americans are coming to the realization that China is more than just an adversary, they’re the enemy," Palmer said at the hearing. "China's already utilizing artificial intelligence on some of their unmanned surface vessels… intended for patrols in the disputed South China Sea."

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"I think China's only going to be more aggressive in that regard. And I hope at some point we can get a briefing, maybe in a classified setting."

The White House has made AI a cornerstone of its policy goals this year, rolling out proposed guardrails for its safe and ethical use this fall.