Can AI solve the problems it creates? (with David Sacks)

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Health plans work every day to shield Americans from high and rising costs by negotiating lower prices from providers and drug makers and protecting consumers against unexpected medical bills. Learn more at costconnection.org.

**David Sacks** (0:14)
AI is going to solve the problem that AI creates. That's kind of my view on where that market is going.

**Dasha Burns** (0:23)
Hello, hello, and welcome to The Conversation. I'm Dasha Burns, and on this show, I talk to the most compelling and sometimes unexpected power players in Washington and beyond.
This week, I sat down with David Sacks, Special Advisor to President Trump on all things AI.

**SPEAKER_4** (0:40)
In the tech world, there's new concerns over the safety of artificial intelligence.

**SPEAKER_5** (0:45)
As more companies integrate artificial intelligence into their business models, a new analysis is diving deep into just how much the technology could impact the workforce.

**SPEAKER_6** (0:54)
Lawmakers getting insights from industry leaders about the security issues presented by today's rapidly advancing technology.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:00)
What happens when you combine artificial intelligence with deadly weapons?

**Dasha Burns** (1:05)
As we see the rapid expansion and adoption of artificial intelligence, Sacks has played a key role in shaping policy around the burgeoning technology. He's a venture capitalist and a Silicon Valley veteran who previously held the title of White House AI and Crypto czar. So when it comes to regulating AI, Sacks approaches the issue with a quote, let them cook philosophy, meaning he thinks the way for the United States to win the global AI race is to move fast with minimally disruptive regulation. But with that approach comes a lot of questions about disruption to the workforce, lawsuits around problems AI has created, increased energy grid demands, all set to the backdrop of public fears around AI. So we had plenty to discuss. David Sacks joins The Conversation.
David Sacks, thank you so much for joining The Conversation.

**SPEAKER_5** (1:58)
Good to be here.

**David Sacks** (1:59)
Thank you.

**Dasha Burns** (2:00)
I'm so excited to have you on the show because AI is consuming my brain, I think a lot of people's brains. It's a huge priority for the White House. And you have been the guy that has been helping build out the framework, set the agenda of how the US should really handle this.
I want to start with that White House AI regulatory framework. So it has these legislative recommendations guided by a vision of quote permissionless innovation and quote minimally burdensome regulation. Now, I've heard your spiel on this, but for some of those that might not be as familiar, I do want you to sort of set out why you think that a technology this powerful, this disruptive should be left mostly in the hands of private companies to control, why the let them cook philosophy, as you call it.

**David Sacks** (2:52)
Well, I think the first thing to recognize is that we are in a globally competitive environment. We're not the only country that has advanced AI labs. And as the president declared in a major policy speech he gave on AI in July last year, we have to win this AI race. And I'm not sure it has a definite finish line. Some people have said it's more of an infinite game. Either way, though, we don't want to fall behind our global competitors because that will have a huge impact on our national security and on our economy.
So I think that's the first thing to recognize is that if somehow we slow down or stop AI development, it doesn't mean that AI progress is going to stop. It just means it's going to happen in other countries and specifically China. Something like half the world's AI developers are in China, are Chinese. They have the technological expertise, capabilities, and a lot of the talent. So again, it is just globally competitive, and it's not like we can just unilaterally disarm or stop AI development. So I think that's the place to start. And then in that important AI speech, the president laid out a few of his pillars on how we win this AI race. And one of them is being pro-innovation. Doesn't mean we don't have to have any regulations, but generally speaking, we should be pro-innovation. And in the United States, the innovation comes from the private sector.
Ultimately, it's our companies that push the frontier forward. And so when I say let them cook, I mean, that's really what I'm talking about, is trying to have a generally encouraging attitude towards innovation. So that would be pillar number one. And then the president also laid out pro-infrastructure pillar, which really means being pro-energy, which is something that he's talked about for a decade.