Exclusive: U.S. and U.K. announce AI partnership

The Trump administration is set to announce that the United States and the United Kingdom have signed a new agreement to cooperate on research and development of artificial intelligence, in news shared first with Axios.

Why it matters: The U.S. and its allies fear China is going to surpass them in AI. The partnership shows the U.S. and U.K. think they have a better chance at beating China by linking up.

Details: The partnership will include the two countries working together on research and development of AI, including on issues of explainability and fairness, an administration official told Axios.

Flashback: In May 2020, the U.S. and other allies launched the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, for "like-minded nations together to encourage the development of AI in line with our shared values."

• Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican who's leaving Congress at the end of this term, has argued that the U.S. should spend more on AI to better compete with China.

What they're saying: "America and our allies must lead the world in shaping the development of cutting edge AI technologies and protecting against authoritarianism and repression," said Michael Kratsios, U.S. chief technology officer. "We are proud to join our special partner and ally, the United Kingdom, to advance AI innovation for the well-being of our citizens, in line with shared democratic values.”