Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang said that in the race for artificial intelligence superiority, the US and China are "neck and neck", but Beijing is ahead in terms of accumulating data to build models.
"China has had large-scale government programmes to win on data," Mr Wang said on Wednesday during at the AI+ Expo in Washington. But he said privacy is not a top priority for Beijing.
"So you know, there are all these ways that naturally they will be ahead on data, and we need to make sure that we can match that."
The race for AI dominance is not over, Mr Wang said: "We're ahead on compute, they're ahead on data and we're neck and neck on algorithms.
He blamed "legacy reasons" for the US lagging behind China on data, the backbone of large-language models that make AI so powerful.
To catch up to China, he suggested that the US create a national data reserve, and think of data in the same way as petroleum or other natural resources.
"The first priority [in the reserve] should be national security data," he said. "There's so much incredibly useful and valuable data that right now is fragmented and not leveraged for building powerful capabilities."
Mr Wang also insisted that the US has "much more" military data than China, but that data was segregated and fragmented.
Mr Wang's discussion about AI came on the third and final day of the technology conference in Washington. While his was one of the more high-profile talks at the event, his company Scale AI – whose technology helps to train AI applications – has been criticised by those concerned about the junction between artificial intelligence and the defence industry.
It already has some of the world's technology giants as its clients, including Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI. The company also works with the US Air Force and US Army.
Mr Wang has openly stood behind his company's defence contracts. During a discussion at Centre for Strategic and International Studies in May, he insisted that the company's work and the use of AI for US military solutions was a "moral imperative".
“We’re at the brink of this incredibly powerful new technology and the applications for national security are obvious," Mr Wang said.
He said that a visit to China, where he saw AI companies working on facial recognition and surveillance, bolstered his belief that Scale AI should work with US defence.
“At that moment it was clear for me that the US would need to have the highest quality human capital and the best companies focused on this problem."
The buzz around Scale AI continues to grow as the self-described "data-centric end-to-end solution" AI infrastructure company expands its footprint.
Originally from New Mexico, Mr Wang founded Scale AI in 2016 shortly after dropping out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology when he saw AI developments creating the need for ways to provide and manage high-quality training data for technology companies and other large businesses.
His company has more than 900 employees and secured at least $1.3 billion in financing, resulting in a $13.8 billion valuation.
At the AI+ convention, he spoke highly of the AI partnerships recently announced during US President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
"Now what we're seeing is that we want to get ahead in this AI age and that's the motivating idea behind what you saw in the Middle East," Mr Wang said.
He said that he expects similar partnerships and announcements with other countries in the years ahead.
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
MATCH INFO
What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
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Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
