The Final Report of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) was published on March 1, 2021. The NSCAI was an independent US commission established by Congress and co-chaired by former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work. Its mandate was to recommend how the United States should advance AI and related technologies to meet national security and defense needs.
The report ran to sixteen chapters organized in two parts. The first part, on defense, covered emerging threats, AI in warfare, autonomous weapon systems, intelligence applications, government talent, and the protection of democratic values. The second part, on technology competition, covered competitive strategy, talent, innovation, intellectual property, microelectronics, and the international technology order. Each set of recommendations was accompanied by detailed “Blueprints for Action” laying out concrete implementation steps.
The commission’s central message was blunt: the United States was not adequately prepared to defend against or compete in the AI era, particularly with respect to China. It urged large increases in federal investment in AI research, reforms to bring more technical talent into government, and steps to protect the US lead in advanced semiconductors.
Although the NSCAI dissolved later in 2021, its report became an influential reference document for US AI policy. Several of its themes, including chip export controls and expanded federal AI funding, appeared in later government action. The report remains one of the most detailed official statements of how the US national security establishment views artificial intelligence.