AI innovation brings new discussions to national security

Some of Silicon Valley's largest companies are under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for antitrust violations, which could have national security ramifications, Brookings reported.

Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft face antitrust violation investigations, according to the Brookings article by Oxford University graduate student Dakota Foster. Preliminary conclusions on the investigations should be released early this summer, according to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, Foster wrote.  

But investigations into these large companies could affect the nation's technological edge, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has said, according to Foster. Much of the world's future warfare will involve artificial intelligence, which many of the large tech companies develop. 

"American tech giants’ huge revenues uniquely equip them to fund costly AI research," the Brookings article said. 

Big-tech giants such as Google and Facebook gain new AI ideas and talent by acquiring other companies, Foster wrote. "This consolidation, which antitrust action could disrupt, may not favor innovation," according to Foster.

Access to data is also essential to developing AI technology, according to the Brookings article.One example is Google's access to data from Gmail, Maps, YouTube and Google Search. "If antitrust enforcement leads to divestment or broader break-ups, access to data may diminish, lessening innovation," wrote Foster.

At the same time, breaking up the large tech companies could allow smaller companies to thrive creating more competition, Foster points out. "With their smaller statures, some of these firms might focus on more niche AI applications, including defense-related products," Foster wrote. "Indeed, with its global user-base, it is hard to imagine Google tailoring its AI innovation decisions to U.S. defense needs."

While national security isn't often discussed with antitrust, "the realities of today’s AI ecosystem should challenge that dynamic," Foster said.

"As these firms face antitrust scrutiny, policymakers and lawmakers alike need to consider the AI ecosystem that they will have a hand in creating," she concluded.