France, China, and the EU All Have an AI Strategy. Shouldn’t the US?

French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to Washington highlighted how differently our two nations are thinking about the future. In March, the French government unveiled a national strategy for artificial intelligence technology that has a clear goal: make France a global leader in AI. In the last year, China and the European Union have taken similar steps. If we’re serious about having a prosperous economy for decades to come, the United States should do the same.

The French strategy—ambitiously titled “For a Meaningful Artificial Intelligence”—was outlined in a comprehensive 147-page document authored by world-renowned mathematician and a member of French Parliament Cédric Villani. Importantly, the report shows the French government anticipating AI’s impact on the job market and attempting to get ahead of change so that their citizens can benefit. As President Macron recently told WIRED, “I think artificial intelligence will disrupt all the different business models and it’s the next disruption to come. So I want to be part of it. Otherwise I will just be subjected to this disruption without creating jobs in this country.”