Staff Reports
Janet Kelly, CEO of the Alliance for a Better Future, told a packed Breitbart “State of the Economy” event this week that China “will cheat and steal and lie in order to beat us.” It was blunt. It was right. And it should wake up every elected official and tech executive who still thinks America can afford to hesitate in the AI competition.
China will cheat, steal, and lie — this is not rhetoric
Kelly’s words cut through polite diplomacy. Over the last several years, U.S. agencies and investigators have documented theft, forced technology transfers, and state-directed espionage tied to Chinese actors. In plain English: this is not a friendly race where we congratulate the winner. It’s a contest where the other side uses dirty tricks and state power to grab advantage. That matters for national security, for jobs, and for the integrity of critical infrastructure that will soon run on AI.
America can build the “trusted AI” the world wants — if we stop dithering
Kelly argued that the United States is uniquely positioned to build AI “the world trusts.” She’s right, but only if we act. Trusted AI means clear rules, strong standards, and verifiable safety measures that allies can rely on. It also means protecting intellectual property, securing supply chains for chips and compute, and punishing bad actors who try to steal models or hardware. If we don’t move fast, other countries will fill the vacuum — and we’ll lose both market share and moral authority.
What conservatives should demand now
Policy should be simple and practical. First, tighten export controls where needed and enforce them aggressively. Second, fund domestic chip production and push private industry toward secure supply chains. Third, pass targeted laws that deter model theft and give prosecutors clearer tools to go after state-backed theft. Fourth, work with allies to create a common “trusted AI” label so democracies can compete on values and safety, not just raw compute. These are not radical ideas. They are common-sense defense of American innovation.
Janet Kelly’s warning is a wake-up call. Washington can either answer with clear policy and muscle or keep hoping that niceties and wishful thinking will protect our edge. If we want our kids to inherit the American Dream, we should treat the AI race like the national-security fight it is — not a debate to be punted to future committees. Call it urgent. Call it necessary. And for heaven’s sake, stop pretending that people who cheat and steal will suddenly start playing fair.
