In the months since becoming the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has made clear that—in order to win the competition in emerging global technologies such as artificial intelligence (A.I.) and quantum computing—the United States must be at the forefront. This includes leading on technology issues both at home—by investing in these new technologies and ensuring key protections from AI harms—and around the world by continuing U.S. global leadership with key allies to counter China.
The Biden-Harris administration has already achieved historic legislative accomplishments—including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the American Rescue Plan—which have helped create more than $900 billion in private sector investments.
The CHIPS and Science Act has bolstered America’s semiconductor industry. Since its implementation, it has attracted more than $450 billion in private investments in semiconductor manufacturing facilities and created an estimated 56,000 jobs in the semiconductor industry alone, which are expected to support hundreds of thousands additional jobs throughout the broader U.S. economy. Recently, it was announced that the new TSMC chip fabrication plant in Arizona—which received more than $6.6 billion in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act as well as TSMC Arizona—is now producing chips domestically for Apple to put in its iPhones. Building on these efforts, the Biden-Harris administration announced plans to invest up to $100 million in R&D for AI-powered sustainable semiconductor materials. This initiative is part of a larger, multiyear commitment to semiconductor research and development through the CHIPS for America Act, which includes broad funding to support various initiatives and programs, operate facilities, promote workforce development, and conduct research projects in areas such as AI research.
Vice President Harris has also pledged to expand these investments to “critical industries of the future” and has proposed an “America Forward tax credit” to “maintain and extend America’s strategic edge in industries of the future,” including “building new data centers for AI” and “revitalizing America’s semiconductor industry.” She told supporters at a September 22 event, “We will create a safe business environment with consistent and transparent rules of the road. We will invest in semiconductors, clean energy and other industries of the future, and we will cut needless bureaucracy.” Harris has additionally backed large scale support for semiconductor research and development, which includes dedicated AI research and workforce development funding.
In terms of quantum computing, Vice President Harris has long been a supporter, mentioning it in the September 10 presidential debate; sponsoring or co-sponsoring three quantum-related bills during her time in Congress; and playing a key role in advancing critical progress on quantum technologies in her role in the Biden-Harris administration.
Vice President Harris has also been a leader in ensuring that we can harness the benefits of AI while addressing its risks. She stood alongside President Joe Biden at the signing of the historic 2023 Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence (AI EO) and then flew to London to lead the U.S. delegation at the first A.I. Safety Summit. She mentioned AI in both her convention acceptance speech and during the September 10 presidential debate, and has called for historic investments in A.I., including “scaling up and making permanent the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource.”
Perhaps most importantly, Vice President Harris has been a champion of the AI EO and has pledged to “continue the commitments set forth in the 2023 AI Executive Order to strengthen innovation and competitiveness, protect workers and consumers as technology advances, and develop a skilled federal AI workforce.” This is in stark contrast to former President Donald Trump, whose policy platform outlines a clear intent to repeal the Executive Order.
Additionally, Vice President Harris has emphasized that the importance of bolstering our domestic industries of the future is not only to ensure that we can compete against China for these critical technologies but to do so in a way that is aligned with American values and allies. As she said in her convention speech, it is a priority for Vice President Harris that America “lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence. That America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership.”
Similarly, in the presidential debate, she said:
A policy about China should be in making sure the United States of America wins the competition for the 21st century. Which means focusing on the details of what that requires, focusing on relationships with our allies, focusing on investing in American based technology so that we win the race on A.I. and quantum computing, focusing on what we need to do to support America’s workforce, so that we don’t end up having the on the short end of the stick in terms of workers’ rights.
Taken together, Vice President Harris has highlighted her commitment to advancing domestic investments in critical new technologies, including semiconductors, quantum computing, and A.I. while ensuring critical A.I. guardrails are in place and maintaining global leadership to compete with China in industries of the future.