Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) said Monday that the United States holds a position of strength in any potential dialogue with China over artificial intelligence, arguing that Beijing’s dependence on American semiconductors gives Washington leverage in future negotiations.
Speaking on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Moran said he does not expect China to cooperate willingly, but argued the US should still pursue talks.
“I don’t think they’re going to play ball willingly. But, right now, we have the position of strength, and we certainly should be engaging in talks with China,” Moran said.
Moran compared the current moment to Cold War-era arms control negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, when the two countries discussed limits on intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons despite being adversaries.
“Just like when you go back to the Cold War, when the United States was engaging with the Soviet Union on ICBMs and nuclear weapons, we wanted to make sure that we were talking with our adversary on a technology that could be very dangerous and making sure that we are in agreement on how to preserve safety for all of humanity. We certainly should be doing that with China,” he said.
He said China’s reliance on US technology, particularly computer chips, for its AI systems gives American negotiators room to shape the terms of any discussion.
“We have a position of strength right now, because they are dependent on — for their AI stack on our technology, particularly our chips. So, we can certainly influence that position right now. And we should be engaging in those discussions, no question,” Moran said.
He added that the United States should “continue” to press its advantage over China on artificial intelligence.
Earlier in the interview, Moran said the first priority should be winning the broader AI race with China. He also argued that now is not the right time for Congress to pass AI legislation, citing the approaching election, heightened political emotions, and what he described as a lack of technical knowledge among lawmakers.
Moran said the private sector has largely done a good job regulating itself and can adapt to developments faster than Congress, though he said lawmakers should still put some rules in place.
