Pentagon tech chief: Anti-immigrant policies hurt U.S. in AI race 

The Pentagon's chief technologist says restrictive immigration policies are hampering the United States from recruiting the best experts in artificial intelligence. 

Since all it takes is a computer to develop the algorithms behind machine learning and artificial intelligence, the Defense Department needs to attract top talent rather than merely outspend adversaries in the field, according to Mike Griffin, the under secretary of defense for research and engineering.

“It's nice to have compute power and all that stuff, but what we really need to do is to have a climate which wants to attract the best minds,” Griffin said during a panel discussion on AI held today in Washington. “Since 9/11, we have really clamped down on a number of different ways in which the United States used to be attractive to the best and brightest.”

Griffin's comments mirror those of Eric Schmidt, former executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and current chair of the Defense Innovation Board. Last November, Schmidt noted “the military is not up to speed on AI” and highlighted how immigration policies prevent computer scientists from places like Iran from living and working in the United States.

“Let’s talk about immigration,” Schmidt said during the Nov. 1 event in Washington. “Shockingly, some of the very best people are in countries that we won’t let in to America. Would you rather have them building AI somewhere else or having them build it here?”

During the panel today, Griffin said he still thinks the United States attracts top technological talent from around the world, but said the government could do more.

“A country that has people clamoring to get here is a better arrangement than having a country where people are trying to get out,” Griffin said. “But we're not always doing, in regards to our immigration policies, the kinds of things that would cause people to want to come here, get a great education and stay here.”

Griffin did not reference specific policies. But his comments come not long after the Trump administration reportedly considered new regulations that would prevent extensions for H-1B visas, which are set aside for specialized and highly skilled foreign workers. The administration has since backed off the proposal after it was criticized by business and technology communities, McClatchy reported in January.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported last week the administration is likely to revoke an Obama-era program that distributed work permits to the spouses of H-1B visa holders.