Govini 2023 National Security Scorecard Indicates China is Winning the AI Race

America’s Waning Competitive Edge is a Warning to U.S. Defense Leaders

Arlington, VA, July 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Govini, the leading commercial data company in the defense technology space, today released the 2023 National Security Scorecard: Critical Technologies Edition. The analysis reveals startling gaps in American investments and widespread reliance on Chinese suppliers across the technologies that underpin U.S. national security, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Across every assessed technology area, from biotechnology to directed energy, U.S. federal programs and activities depend upon Chinese suppliers. In many cases, including sensitive military programs, this reliance includes Chinese entities that are deemed “prohibited” by U.S. executive order and legislation, including the National Defense Authorization Act. China dominates Tier 1 supplier lists, which provide goods or services to defense vendors and subcontractors, leaving domestic vendors reliant on suppliers based in adversarial countries. This year, the Scorecard quantifies U.S. exposure to China in all 12 critical technology areas and provides an actionable basis for government leaders to intervene.

In the area of AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Autonomy, total U.S. federal spending has grown less than 10 percent over the past five years. In a period when generative AI is having a revolutionary impact on global activities, the U.S. requires a more serious commitment to the acceleration and adoption of AI, particularly for national security interests. This incremental approach to the pursuit of AI for national aims contrasts starkly with China’s commitment, and the evidence bears out in this analysis. Indeed, the innovation measures in the 2023 National Security Scorecard demonstrate Chinese superiority in every critical technology area across the board, including AI/ML & Autonomy.

“The Govini National Security Scorecard is the canary in the coal mine for U.S. defense leaders,” said Govini CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty. “This year’s Scorecard confirms that China is well on its way to achieving its goals of dominance in global high-tech manufacturing and building a first-mover advantage in the development of artificial intelligence. Absent a dramatic refocusing on the impact AI will have on the future of everything, including war, the window of opportunity for the United States to maintain its position of power on the world stage will slam shut.”

The 10th annual National Security Scorecard was created using Govini’s AI platform, Ark.ai, to provide a comprehensive, data-backed understanding of innovation investment and execution around the world. The analysis combines data-at-scale with advanced ML techniques to generate a quantitative understanding of the state of the U.S.-China competition in emerging technologies, as well as innovation trends in the U.S. industrial base more broadly. Highlighted technologies include Biotechnology, Super Computing & User Interfaces, Nuclear Modernization, Space Technology, AI/ML & Autonomy, Advanced Communications, Advanced Manufacturing, Hypersonics, Microelectronics, Renewable Energy, Advanced Materials, and Directed Energy.

"Vladimir Putin famously said the country that becomes the leader in artificial intelligence will become ‘the ruler of the world,’" said Govini Chairman Robert Work. “It is simply unacceptable that China’s pace of innovation is pulling so far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to technology that is critical to national security, particularly AI. It is time for the federal government to face this reality and rekindle innovation in areas where we have fallen short, so the United States has the best chance to win this existential technological competition.”
Notable Critical Technology Findings:

· In AI/ML & Autonomy spending, data integration continues to dominate; however, predictive and adaptive autonomy capabilities have seen the largest growth since 2018. China’s AI/ML & Autonomy patents were nearly double those of the U.S., raising concern that U.S. companies will be reliant upon Chinese companies for this intellectual property in the future.· Nuclear Modernization continued to be a priority with U.S. spending on nuclear warheads increasing by 57 percent in 2022. Pit manufacturing is driving this increase, as the National Nuclear Security Administration has highlighted the need to produce at least 80 pits per year.· Space technology investments peaked in 2018 and have remained constant since 2020. As climate change concerns and extreme weather events continue to mount, investments have tended to focus on climate and atmospheric monitoring.

The 2023 National Security Scorecard: Critical Technologies Edition is available for free download now at:
https://govini.com/2023-national-security-scorecard/. 
*About Govini*
Govini is the leading Commercial Data company in the Defense Technology space.
With Govini, government analysts, program managers, and decision-makers gain unprecedented visibility into the Companies, Capabilities, and Capital in National Security to solve challenges pertaining to Acquisition, Foreign Influence & Adversarial Capital, Nuclear Modernization, Procurement, Science & Technology, and Supply Chain.

CONTACT: Allyson Scott
Govini
allyson@get2aha.com