China’s escalating cyber aggression, amplified by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, is dramatically raising the stakes in the global cybersecurity arena. This convergence poses unprecedented threats to our national security, economic prosperity, democratic values, and the very stability of American society.
We are now fully enmeshed in the cyber age. It is imperative that U.S. policymakers act accordingly to fortify our cyber defenses and safeguard our future.
Over the past year, we have seen a massive escalation in both the scale and sophistication of Chinese cyberattacks. Just weeks ago, we learned that a sophisticated Chinese hacking group known as Salt Typhoon launched a “historically significant and worrisome” attack that compromised U.S. internet providers. This breach exposed tens of millions of Americans and myriad businesses to potential surveillance. It also compromised our intelligence networks, revealing how we track criminals and protect against national security threats.
This troubling revelation comes shortly after we learned about the “Volt Typhoon” campaign – an operation perpetrated by Chinese state-sponsored hackers to gain access to, and burrow into, U.S. critical infrastructure assets, such as power grids, airports, and even water treatment facilities. FBI Director Chris Wray warned that these operatives are prepositioning themselves to disrupt essential systems in the event of a future conflict, effectively preparing to inflict “real-world harm” on American citizens. In this situation, a strategy of reactivity cannot be an option.
The economic implications are already alarming. China’s theft of intellectual property siphons more than $500 billion from the U.S. economy every year. As former Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center William Evanina told Newsweek, this equates to “taking $4,000 to $6,000 annually from every family of four in America.”
But China’s cyber aggression is only half the story.
At the same time, we are also in the midst of what is clearly an AI revolution. Not only is this new technology changing the way we live and work, it is also fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. AI-powered tools are supercharging the capabilities of defenders as well as attackers. On one hand, AI enhances our ability to detect and respond to threats. But on the other hand, it also empowers adversaries to launch more sophisticated, automated, persistent, and destructive attacks. For instance, attackers now use AI chatbots and tools to craft personalized phishing emails that are more convincing and harder to recognize.
The combination of these two forces, China’s cyber aggression and AI advancements, creates a perfect storm that threatens not just our national security, but the very foundations of our economic prosperity and societal order.
Confronting this dual threat requires a whole-of-nation approach to ensure that America leads in emerging technologies, including in a diversity of AI models, such as open source. And we must be clear-eyed about the fact that the U.S. government cannot take on this challenge alone. If we are going to stay ahead of the curve and truly safeguard American cyberspace, we will need to lean on partners in the private sector.
Thankfully, the United States is home to the brightest entrepreneurs and most innovative tech companies in the world. These innovators aren’t just economic powerhouses; they are the backbone of our national cybersecurity.
In March, IBM opened a new “X-Force Cyber Range” headquarters to train U.S. federal agencies and critical infrastructure organizations in cyber defense. Meanwhile, Meta is working with security officials to identify and counter foreign disinformation campaigns. And in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gen. Timothy Haugh revealed that U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and over 1,000 defense-related companies work together on a daily basis to identify, deter, and respond to emerging cyber threats.
However, some politicians and policymakers are keen on imposing new laws and regulations that aim to break up the very innovators that are foundational to our cybersecurity infrastructure.
Decision-makers must understand that overly restricting our most innovative companies, including handcuffing their competitive strategies or even forcing them to share sensitive data, is the wrong approach.
America’s tech companies play an indispensable role in fostering innovation, equipping the U.S. government with elite tools at scale, driving advancement, and safeguarding our nation. In fact, the six largest U.S. tech companies invest more in research and development than the entire Pentagon. When the stakes are such that the country that loses the cybersecurity edge likely will not gain it back, we can’t afford to handcuff our strongest, most important partners in this fight.
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Instead, let’s focus on incentivizing innovation and promoting collaboration between the government and the tech industry. A united front is essential to counter the cyber threats we face and position the U.S. to lead the way in developing AI and the next generation of breakthrough technologies.
The future of American security and economic prosperity depends on it.
Chris Carney represented Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District for two terms and previously worked at the Pentagon for four years on strategic analysis of the global terrorist threat. He is currently a Senior Policy Advisor at Nossaman LLP in Washington, DC and advisory board member to the American Edge Project (AEP).