US Needs Clearer AI, 5G Standards Setting Strategy, Brookings Told

The U.S. needs a clearer strategy for leading 5G and artificial intelligence standards setting to counter China’s growing tech leadership, technology experts said. The Trump administration should define a strategy and work with allies to set global standards, the experts said, or risk forcing its companies out of global markets because of restrictions placed on China. “We're behind. I can't say it enough to U.S. legislators,” said Nicol Turner Lee, a Brookings Institution fellow, speaking during a Friday webinar hosted by the think tank. “That should be disconcerting to companies who will be told by the U.S. that they cannot do business [in China] even though there are other European companies that can.” At the center of the issue is China’s dominant presence at global standards setting bodies for emerging tech, said Sheena Chestnut Greitens, nonresident Brookings fellow. International bodies are seeing more rules written by Chinese companies, she said. “About half of the standards that [China has] proposed have been adopted by the U.N. as the global standard,” Greitens said, noting those standards include facial recognition technology. U.S. restrictions on Huawei blocked the U.S. from participating in bodies in which the company is a member, although the Commerce Department drafted a rule to address the ability of U.S. companies to participate in 5G bodies (see 2004290066). The White House declined to comment Monday, referring us to the State Department Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. The bureau wouldn't provide an on-the-record comment.