Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has a bone to pick with President Donald Trump's administration, and the bone is shaped like a semiconductor.
Speaking Thursday at the AI Horizons 2026 Summit in Pittsburgh, Shapiro argued that the White House's own rhetoric about beating China in artificial intelligence doesn't match its actions. His specific complaint: the administration sold some of America's "most advanced chips" to Chinese companies, handing them a leg up over American entrepreneurs.
His verdict on that decision was blunt. It was, he said, "a mistake." And he called for effective leadership instead.
"Real leadership means keeping America ahead of China in AI innovation," Shapiro said, adding that Washington should stop alienating its allies and instead lead international efforts to bring countries together around a framework for responsible AI regulation and safety.
The Democrat also used his speech to push a timely point: AI should sit at the top of the agenda when Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. He urged the U.S. to pursue international standards for advanced AI systems while maintaining a technological edge over Beijing.
Beyond the geopolitical framing, Shapiro called for tighter oversight of frontier AI models, greater transparency requirements and independent evaluations of advanced systems before they get deployed widely.
