Khanna offers vision for making digital world work for `all of us'

There should be no question that these are the darkest days in Silicon Valley history.

A majority of Americans no longer trust Big Tech, thanks to its failures to rein in misinformation that is putting our health and democracy at risk. Tech's biggest critics argue that the Valley's biggest companies have too much power and must be broken up. It raises the potential for Americans to begin questioning whether tech innovations do more harm than good. That's a recipe for disaster. If history has taught us anything, it's that the only way America can win the future is by making significant investments in research and development that will spark the next wave of innovation. It's time for a reset.

Rep. Ro Khanna is showing the way. The Santa Clara Democrat's new book, “Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us,” offers a path for how the innovation economy can enrich the lives of workers across the country. It's the kind of vision that is lacking in today's world. Instead of pointing fingers and fighting over who is responsible for past failures, Khanna focuses on how we can shape the future and re-create the American dream for future generations. And he's repeatedly gone to red states in the American heartland to find common ground and push for bipartisan support.

He reminds us that a key pillar of building a multiracial, multireligious democracy is “providing every person in every place with the prospect of a dignified life, including the potential to contribute in and shape the digital age.”

America cannot thrive if it continues to increase the wealth of the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots”. Our growing economic divide is at the heart of increasing political divide. The best way to reduce the divisiveness is by lifting up those who see no future for themselves or their children.

“I'm not saying everyone needs to go to work for Google and become coders,” said Khanna. “What we need to create is a new economy in which tech jobs are spread throughout America, not just along the coasts.”

He cites Intel's decision in January to invest $20 billion to build “the largest silicon manufacturing location on the planet” in New Albany, Ohio, as a prime example of how the tech industry can spread the wealth across the country. Intel will begin construction later this year on two fabrication plants that are expected to open in 2025.

“These aren't coding jobs,” said Khanna. “These are 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 manufacturing jobs for workers that are new versions of the jobs their parents had.”

The first step is for Congress to pass Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's U.S. Innovation and Competition Act. The Senate passed the bill last year. It would provide $52 billion to increase U.S. semiconductor production and $190 billion to strengthen U.S. technology and research. The legislation calls for the creation of technology hubs throughout the nation.

The bill would mark the biggest investment in science and technology in U.S. history. It's the type of federal government investment that has led to some of Silicon Valley's biggest successes, including the internet, smartphones and voice-recognition software.

The House passed its version of the bill last week. Khanna expects Congress to send it to President Biden for his signature within the next month.

Many Valley entrepreneurs have urged Congress to leave them alone and let them do their magic. But it's long-term investment by the federal government in research and development that led to the creation of the internet and most of the technological marvels of today's world.

The United States still outspends China in R&D, spending $612 billion on research and development in 2019, compared to China's $514 billion. But the gap is narrowing. At the turn of the century, China was only spending $33 billion a year on R&D, while the United States was spending nearly 10 times that amount.

With great investment comes great responsibility. And that's where Congress and Silicon Valley need to work together to shape the new tech world that the investment is expected to create.

Letting Big Tech's giant corporations shape the tech world of the future solely on their own would be a giant mistake.

“We need to be more future oriented,” said Khanna. “What is the framework that we want for AI (artificial intelligence), what is the framework we want for the metaverse. We always seem to look backward in our approach. We need to look ahead to see how innovation will shape our human relationships in terms of access to information. We need to craft appropriate regulations that encourage responsible innovation. And we need to craft digital platforms that use the power of communication to bridge divides.”

It's a vision that requires a new approach from all parties to become a reality. But finding innovative solutions to challenging problems is a Silicon Valley specialty. Let's get to work.