“Security, stability, prosperity — they are no longer solely analog matters,” Blinken said.
To achieve a vision of a “vibrant, open and secure” global digital future, the U.S. cannot go it alone. The new strategy focuses on “digital solidarity” not “digital sovereignty,” Blinken said, emphasizing collaboration with likeminded nations as well as curbing the influence of ideologically opposed authoritarian nations.
The federal government aims to negotiate more international agreements on norms of permissible technology use, as well as to build new supply chains routed through allies — reducing reliance on rival nations. Building up the country’s emerging tech sector will also ensure the nation is “operating from a position of strength” when pushing for its desired standards and norms.
Blinken painted a picture of how advanced tech can and should support human rights and prosperity, under the kind of norms the U.S. wants to see in place. For example, synthetic biology can create naloxone faster than otherwise possible, helping the U.S. address its fentanyl crisis. Or, AI might help map soils more quickly, aiding farmers in improving crop yields and reducing world hunger. Meanwhile, norms should condemn using the same technology for purposes like creating highly contagious lethal pathogens, surveilling residents, suppressing human rights or undermining foreign democracies. And nations should bring penalties against countries that break these norms.
So far, some progress has been made, for example, with the U.N. General Assembly in March adopting a U.S.-led resolution that called on member states and stakeholders to avoid using AI systems that pose risks to human rights. Blinken said he’d like to see similar resolutions in areas like synthetic biology.
Other safeguards against emerging technology risks have included a February executive order limiting the transfer of bulk genomic data on U.S. residents to adversary countries, as well as international collaborations on cyber norms and countering ransomware. Plus, establishing and sharing methods to keep new technologies secured, with NIST selecting four quantum-resistant cryptographic standards that will soon be made available for any organization worldwide to adopt.
The U.S. expects six “general-purpose, foundational” emerging technologies to transform society and play a key role in national security and competitiveness. Its set sights on microelectronics; quantum technologies and advanced computing; AI; biotechnology and biomanufacturing; advanced telecommunications; and clean energy.
Improving national competitiveness and reducing dependence on rival nations means seeking alternate methods to get needs met, such as producing more of the technology at home and developing new supply chains that source solely from partners.
The U.S. produces very few of the critical minerals used in electronic vehicles, for example, with China dominating this space, and the U.S. still only produces 10 percent of the world’s semiconductor chips. A growing partnership with European countries for critical minerals shows promise, however. Adopting technology and materials supply chains that are more diverse and based in partner nations will make the U.S. more resilient and less at risk should a natural disaster occur, or a military conflict prompt a rival to cut off exports.
The federal government has also been providing incentives to encourage domestic semiconductor production, and it looks to expand the nation’s high-tech workforces by streamlining visa applications and otherwise making it easier for foreign-born talent to come to the U.S.
Alongside growing U.S. strength, the nation aims to ensure that it’s not advancing harmful capabilities of its rivals. To that point, the U.S. is also applying targeted restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports and more scrutiny of “inbound and outbound” investments in sensitive technologies, as well as encouraging partners to do the same. This aims to prevent adversary nations from using U.S. products to advance military capabilities or harm human rights.
In seeming recognition of emerging tech’s growing importance, embassies are becoming more high tech. Blinken said U.S. embassies will all have a trained digital officer by the year’s end, and diplomatic teams are piloting use of generative AI and machine learning to summarize, translate and draft documents.
