Tech Experts: Improving Analytic Capabilities Will Prevent Adversaries From Gaining Sensitive Data

Tech experts are asking federal agencies to improve analytic capabilities to prevent foreign adversaries from gaining sensitive information.

In a hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday, Center for a New American Security Senior Fellow Emily Kilcrease said the government needs to invest in artificial intelligence and data science-backed evaluation and analytic capabilities to ensure access to a wide range of unbiased information to track how China is evading economic sanctions.

China’s growing threat is the reason behind the need to invest in such capabilities. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, discussed the Department of Commerce’s budget as a reflection of how the U.S. is falling behind its adversaries. The department’s 2024 budget allocation has stayed at the same amount compared to a decade ago, Nextgov/FCW reported.

While economic measures are in place to prevent foreign governments from accessing critical technologies, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said that there is also a need to exert more effort to cope with China’s technological advancements.

With China continuing to copy American-developed advanced technologies, the Protecting American Intellectual Property Act is one effort that aims to stop IP theft, imposing at least five sanctions on companies found stealing IP.