XPrize founder Peter Diamandis projects hope for AI, biotech amid US-China tech war
The entrepreneur says biotech should be less contentious than AI, as a breakthrough in Beijing is just as usable in Boston
Peter Diamandis, the entrepreneur behind the XPrize Foundation, has long championed a future of technological promise, building a career on innovation competitions meant to solve grand challenges. But in a recent conversation in Hong Kong, a subtle shift in tone emerged as he addressed the current complexities of global scientific collaboration, clouded by geopolitical tensions and the looming threat of technological decoupling.
“One of the things that is important to realise is that human biology is conserved across 8 billion people, as is math and physics and chemistry,” he said. “So a breakthrough by a brilliant entrepreneur or scientist in Beijing is fully usable and accessible by a brilliant scientist in Boston. That elevates humanity as a whole.”
His cosmopolitan vision of scientific progress stands in contrast to the current political climate, in which the US, under the administration of President Donald Trump, has sought to curb international student visas and made drastic cuts to scientific funding and universities.