Many of the issues the United States is facing today, including food insecurity, the climate crisis, and infectious disease have solutions grounded in science. In recognition of the need for technical expertise, the State Department has long been welcoming fellows from across the scientific community, explained Secretary of State Antony Blinken:
“Today, we have fellows working on everything from internet freedom and emerging technologies, to health security and global supply chains, to boosting energy security and combating wildlife trafficking.”
Just last year, the State Department launched the Cyberspace and Digital Policy Bureau to try to make sure that the United States continues to play a leading role in shaping the digital revolution.
The U.S. is leading the effort to maximize the potential of artificial intelligence while at the same time minimize its risks, said Secretary Blinken:
“Just over the past year, we’ve set out a blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights with principles for how automated systems are designed and used. We developed an AI Risk Management Framework to help improve user protections. And last month ... President Biden announced a set of commitments from leading companies, focused on mitigating the near-term risks posed by AI while continuing to foster innovation.”
The United States is also supporting researchers and innovators around the world. A case in point is the TechWomen program - an international exchange program through which hundreds of entrepreneurs from across Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East have been paired with their counterparts in the United States in the tech community.
“At the end of the day, our open society is at the heart of why we remain so innovative and so dynamic,” said Secretary Blinken:
“That’s why the world’s leading researchers want to come here to the United States and why we’re determined to remain a magnet for talent. It’s why we’re equally determined to maintain and strengthen the ties that bind our scientists and technologists, so that together we can discover, accelerate, and scale breakthroughs that deliver for our people and for the world.”
Science and technology fellowships remain critical to our future, declared Secretary Blinken, ”so that we can help solve big challenges, ... for our own fellow citizens here in the United States and for people everywhere.”
