The Biden administration is encouraging government agencies to seize on the most advanced artificial intelligence systems to maintain an edge over its rivals and boost national security.

The new directive is part of the first-ever national security memorandum (NSM) on AI, issued by President Biden on Thursday morning.

“The NSM’s fundamental premise is that advances at the frontier of AI will have significant implications for national security and foreign policy in the near future,” senior administration officials told reporters

Pointing to foreign adversaries including China, a senior administration official said a “failure” by the U.S. to take advantage of AI could put the nation at risk of a “strategic surprise.”

“There are very clear national security applications of artificial intelligence, including in areas like cybersecurity and counterintelligence, not to mention the broad array of logistics and other activities that support military operations,” the official said on a call previewing the memo.

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