Khosla warns against slowing US AI research, cites China threat
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China has an advantage in moving technology forward because it “can take many more risks, make many more errors,” the founder of Khosla Ventures said in a meeting with Bloomberg News on Wednesday. “We shouldn’t take for granted we will lead in AI technology 20 years from now.”
Silicon Valley’s embrace of speed has at times run up against calls for moderation by regulators and AI ethicists. Lawmakers have scrambled to create a framework for regulating the powerful systems. And in March, Musk signed an open letter calling for a pause in the development of “giant AI experiments” for at least six months.
“Elon is behind,” Khosla said. “He realizes AI technology is really important to him both in the Tesla car” and in robotics. Khosla also called out companies like Tesla and Apple Inc. for doing significant business in China during a time of fierce competition with the US.
Many tech leaders have become increasingly wary of China’s economic power, as geopolitical tensions have escalated. Last month, Khosla and fellow billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel hosted an event to discuss the country’s threat to the technology and military standing of the US. The closed-door dinner and discussion brought together policy makers from Washington with techies and investors from Silicon Valley on the eve of TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew testifying before Congress.
Tesla has been developing robots and other technology that could benefit from AI. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
As an example, he cited TikTok’s willingness to track individual user data, which he said was driven by the government. “You think it was on their own volition?” he said. “There’s no upside to that. There is huge upside to the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, in tracking people.” He said TikTok was a “Trojan horse” for spying in the US, but stressed that the issue was a minor one in the scheme of tech competition between the two superpowers.
Asked about Sequoia Capital’s ties to the country through its affiliate, Sequoia China, Khosla said: “I think they should subscribe to Western values.” But he added that Sequoia China was set up at a time when the relationship between China and the US was much more friendly.
Overall, despite geopolitical risks and technology stocks’ drubbing in the public markets, Khosla is optimistic about the future. Layoffs and budget cuts made by Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and other technology behemoths could fuel greater creativity in tech.
Khosla said that the current market would prove to be a profitable time for VC investing. Because of the high levels of innovation, his firm has funded more companies in the last three months than the last six to nine months, he said.
Khosla, an early backer of green and environmental tech, also believes in the promise of that sector, although the type of businesses he backs has evolved over the years. Nuclear fusion research will render solar and wind obsolete, he believes, leading Khosla Ventures to back companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Fusion, along with AI, is one of the technologies where the US needs to lead, he said.
Overall, in addition to supporting innovation, Khosla thinks that the US could improve its technology position by making it easier for graduates of advanced-level university programs to get visas in the country. For Ph.D. holders in particular, he said, “we should print a visa” automatically.
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