A Plain-English Guide to the AI Tech Stack
New Resource
Today, the U.S.-China Commission published the AI Technology Stack Glossary, a plain-English reference guide designed to help Congress and the broader public better understand the complex technical concepts shaping today’s technology and national security landscape. View the glossary here.
"The competition with China over artificial intelligence carries real stakes for our security and our economy,” said Chair Randy Schriver. “Clear, common language is the foundation for sound policy on issues this consequential subject, and the Commission produced this glossary to provide it. We will keep it current as the field evolves."
"AI is evolving fast, and the vocabulary is evolving with it. Terms like chiplets, diffusion, data curation, and open versus closed models now sit at the center of real policy choices, and getting the language right keeps good policy on pace,” said Vice Chair Mike Kuiken. “We built this decoder ring as a working reference for everyone tracking these issues in Congress, and across the public."
The glossary explains key terms related to semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing, and artificial intelligence (AI), providing readers with a practical resource for navigating policy discussions, industry developments, and emerging technologies. This product will be updated on a semi-regular basis with additional key terms and concepts.
As part of its ongoing work monitoring Chinese advances in emerging technology, the Commission published “Two Loops: How China’s Open AI Strategy Reinforces Its Industrial Dominance,” a report analyzing the U.S.-China contest over AI and China’s “all-in” approach to open-source models and broad adoption. The two countries are pursuing fundamentally different theories of how AI leadership is won.
###