By Paul Lekas, Senior Vice President, Global Public Policy and Mort Skroejer,
American tech companies are powering groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), investing billions annually in research and development. Now, thanks to strong leadership from President Donald Trump, U.S. tech firms are positioned to maintain America’s role as the global leader in artificial intelligence.
Recently, President Trump announced Stargate, a landmark partnership between the federal government and U.S. tech companies that will drive innovation in AI. Shortly after Trump announced this new initiative, some leading tech companies pledged over $500 billion in investments to develop AI breakthroughs and the infrastructure necessary to unlock artificial intelligence’s potential. Importantly, Stargate represents an opportunity for the Trump administration to reset the government’s agenda to focus on innovation, economic growth, and job creation.
This initiative stands in contrast to a slate of hostile actions targeting America’s leading innovators, threatening to derail U.S. advancements in areas like AI. In the last administration, antitrust enforcers at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought lawsuits against several companies leading the charge to develop new cutting-edge technology in AI. This includes DOJ’s lawsuit against Google over search. The case is currently in its remedy phase, and shortly before Trump’s inauguration, the DOJ filed a proposal seeking to block Google from further investments in AI.
This move threatens to hobble a company that has already invested billions of dollars to develop cutting-edge AI technology and could further chill innovation across the entire tech sector, a serious concern given that private companies are responsible for 75% of national research and development spending. Ultimately, the prior administration’s heavy-handed actions seeking to punish successful American innovators risk crippling the very companies driving advancements in areas like AI, quantum computing, and robotics.
The Trump administration has the opportunity to turn the page on this harmful agenda. American innovation cannot thrive under a cloud of government hostility, especially when faced with fierce competition from China. That competition has just entered a new phase with release of the DeepSeek chatbot. It is essential that President Trump commit to fostering an economy focused on innovation.
