A top White House official sent a blunt message to major economies on Tuesday: when it comes to artificial intelligence, follow America’s lead or get left behind. Speaking at a major Asia-Pacific economic forum, Michael Kratsios, the White House’s science and technology policy director, urged countries to work with the US to build AI infrastructure and avoid what he called Europe’s “overregulated” approach.
Kratsios framed the issue as a clear “choice” for other nations. “You can follow the European model of fear and overregulation, and be inevitably left behind,” he said, or “you can take our offered handshake and make a deal.”
He argued that the next big AI breakthroughs will be made with American technology, and that countries will want to have US AI infrastructure already in place to take advantage of them. The message was a direct pitch for countries to align with the US model of private-sector-led innovation, rather than Europe’s more government-heavy regulatory approach.
Kratsios also acknowledged that countries are rightfully protective of their citizens’ data. To address this, he said the US is taking steps to support “open-source” and “open-weight” AI models. These models are more transparent and can be customized, offering an alternative to the closed, proprietary systems that many countries are wary of.
The speech positions the US as a more business-friendly alternative to Europe in the global race to shape the future of AI.
