Earlier this year, University of Utah President Taylor Randall sat in front of lawmakers and echoed an alarm: China was outpacing the United States in artificial intelligence and other critical technologies.
Randall labeled the ongoing global “AI race” a “sputnik moment,” recalling the alarming Cold War chapter when the Russians launched an artificial satellite — dubbed Sputnik 1 — prior to the United States.
It’s essential, Randall told legislators, that American universities — including the University of Utah — remain key competitors in the race to maximize AI…