Testimony in Review: Adam Thierer’s April 2025 Appearance Before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
On April 8, 2025, the R Street Institute’s Adam Thierer testified before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology at a hearing titled “DeepSeek: A Deep Dive.” The session aimed to scrutinize DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and assess its implications for U.S. national security and data privacy.
The hearing addressed concerns regarding DeepSeek’s potential to harvest sensitive user data, including contracts, documents, and financial records, which the CCP could exploit. Lawmakers highlighted that such data collection poses significant risks to national security and personal privacy. The hearing underscored the urgent need to address the national security implications associated with DeepSeek’s operations and emphasized the need for legislative measures to protect American data and technological interests.
In his testimony, Thierer emphasized the rapid development of Chinese AI capabilities and the potential ramifications of that development on U.S. competitiveness and global leadership both in AI and in technology more broadly. If the United States does not ensure a vibrant environment for domestic AI development, it will create a void for Chinese companies and technologies to fill.
Thierer outlined a pro-freedom AI opportunity agenda that the United States must implement to maintain its leadership in the field:
- Embrace open-source AI innovation and let it blossom globally.
- Ensure diverse, competitive energy markets for AI advancement.
- Win the talent war by attracting the world’s best and brightest data scientists and computer engineers.
- Ensure balanced copyright and data privacy policies.
- Craft a national framework that preempts or puts a moratorium on the confusing patchwork of almost 1,000 state and local AI proposals pending today.
- Require federal agencies to review their existing policies to determine how they might be hampering AI innovation.
- Ensure agencies have the resources and training needed to address novel AI-related issues, especially cybersecurity matters.
- Defend the importance of free speech in the algorithmic age.
Subcommittee members expressed bipartisan concern with the rise of DeepSeek and similar Chinese technological advancements despite attempts to contain these nascent technologies from both hardware and software perspectives. During her opening remarks, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) stated, “Two months ago the release of the B-3 and R-1 AI models by the Chinese firm DeepSeek caused many Americans to awaken to the realization that we can’t take our leadership in emerging technologies for granted. Securing our research and applying targeted export controls are necessary, but they’re insufficient steps to ensuring American leadership in AI. To win the AI race, we have to realize our potential by enabling and supporting scientific advancement through the infrastructure, institutions, and most importantly the people who truly drive American innovation.”
Subcommittee Chairman Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), began his questioning by noting the proliferation of AI-related legislation at the state and local levels in the United States and asking Thierer to elaborate on the threats they pose as well as potential legislative solutions. Thierer referenced findings from the bipartisan House AI Task Force and the ways that these laws—over 900 of which have already been introduced in 2025—threaten to create an unworkable patchwork of regulations. He highlighted the need to use the successful model of the internet age that emphasized light-touch regulation and protections for the industry, thereby allowing it to thrive. U.S. technological dominance and competitiveness today is a direct result of the bipartisan framework for the internet created by the Republican-controlled Congress and Clinton-Gore White House of that era. Thierer noted that this included a 10-year moratorium on duplicative or discriminatory taxes on internet services and recommended that lawmakers consider a similar moratorium for regulations affecting AI technologies to deal with the emerging patchwork of often duplicative, discriminatory, and even conflicting regulations facing the industry.
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) asked Thierer whether the figures cited by DeepSeek in the development of its R1 model were accurate. Thierer noted that it is impossible to verify this claim based on publicly available data. Rep. Babin also asked Thierer whether investment or a permissive regulatory environment is more important to the development of AI in the United States. Thierer responded that while both are necessary, the existence of a permissionless innovation framework for AI drives investment in the technology.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) noted that “labor, knowledge, [and] investment” are necessary to maintain U.S. leadership on AI. Thierer agreed, again noting the excellent work of the House AI Task Force. Rep. Issa also noted that there are currently around 300,000 Chinese citizens studying in the United States and asked about the potential impact of those students returning to China with their U.S.-based education. Thierer responded, “I believe that if brilliant people want to come here and study and work, that’s wonderful for America. We did this with the Soviets—we brought their best and brightest here, gave them opportunity, and encouraged them to stay. I’d like to see that same policy for Chinese students.” Rep. Issa agreed, emphasizing the need to encourage those students to stay and work in the United States.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) asked whether China has already passed the United States in the AI “cold war.” Thierer noted the pre-ChatGPT perception that China was ahead in various aspects of AI development and remarked that while ChatGPT helped highlight America’s leading role in AI, that gap has closed rapidly in the years since.
Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) asked about key steps to ensure the appropriate level of AI regulation in the United States that provides safety without stifling innovation. Thierer once again referenced the market-based approach taken by the United States during the rise of the internet ecosystem and the resulting success of its technology industry. In contrast, the European Union (EU) took a more restrictive and regulatory approach to technology. As a result, the United States leads the world in technological innovation while the EU struggles to produce any technology companies of note.
Rep. Jim Baird (R-Ind.) questioned Thierer on how to achieve the proper balance between national security and innovation in AI. Thierer explained that the “nightmare scenario” for AI development would be the United States ceding the AI space to illiberal countries like China and allowing their technologies and models to gain dominance globally. Allowing China to create global AI standards would pose a massive threat to U.S. national security. Therefore, protecting innovation does not undermine national security—it is vital to maintaining it.
Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-S.C.) inquired about the data collection practices of Chinese-based AI technologies like DeepSeek, whether they collect data on Americans, and the implications of such potential data collection on U.S. national security. Thierer responded that while the threat of Chinese data collection and abuse is real, more research is needed to clarify how much data these applications are collecting on Americans and how that data might be used.
Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah) asked how the advancement of Chinese AI capabilities should inform the AI regulations that U.S. federal and state policymakers are pursuing. Thierer noted that Rep. Kennedy’s home state provides a good example of state-level regulation of AI. In particular, the state has pursued a model that focuses on studying the issue, examining existing regulations and capacity, avoiding overregulation, and providing a regulatory sandbox framework that allows for experimentation.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) asked if China’s attempts to copy U.S. AI innovation means that it inherently lags behind in its development. Thierer responded that the United States must not take its technological leadership for granted, noting multiple areas like robotics and batteries where China has made genuine advancements that undermine that leadership.
In total, this hearing showed bipartisan concern about the rise of Chinese AI technologies and the desire among policymakers to ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of AI development. As Thierer noted in his testimony, the United States must embrace a growth- and opportunity-oriented AI agenda in order to beat China. If we allow fear-based policies to impede American AI development and diffusion, then China wins.
To see Thierer’s opening statement and various exchanges with members of the panel in full, see the video compilation below: