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Billionaire entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban says the United States can outpace China in the global race for artificial intelligence — but only if it keeps funding research at every level. In a post on X over the weekend, Cuban argued that sustained investment in American research is critical for maintaining a technological edge, particularly in the development of advanced AI systems.
“This was happening before AI, but it’s happening even more with AI,” Cuban wrote in response to a post by David Sacks, the White House’s AI and crypto policy chief. “The IP we create domestically is what the frontier models can buy or invest in to define their differentiation and advance forward.”
Speaking with Local press on Sunday, Cuban expanded on that point, saying that American research isn’t just important for the breakthroughs it produces, but also for its value to domestic AI leaders like ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Google DeepMind’s rival model Gemini. Any unique intellectual property generated by U.S. scientists and researchers, he said, could be licensed to AI companies for use in model training — creating a revenue stream to offset research costs while also boosting the sophistication of American AI systems.
“The quality and depth of the research we do in this country can help us stay ahead of China and other countries in the AI race,” Cuban said. “We need our Ph.D.s, our scientists, our experts, to stay here and contribute to society, and their IP to make American AI models the global leaders.”
Funding Cuts Threaten the Research Pipeline
Cuban’s call comes at a time when the federal government’s commitment to research funding is being questioned. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to significantly reduce grants for universities and institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Scientists have warned that these cuts could slow innovation, push top talent overseas, and create what’s known as “brain drain” — a loss of highly skilled researchers to countries with more supportive funding environments.
“It absolutely endangers the United States’ position as the global leader in medical research. And for that, we will pay,” Peter Lurie, an NIH grant recipient whose funding was terminated in March, told Local press in April.
The AI Race Intensifies
The debate over funding comes against the backdrop of a rapidly intensifying AI competition between the U.S. and China. In January, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek stunned industry watchers by releasing high-performing AI models at a fraction of the cost of comparable Western systems. The achievement raised concerns that China could leverage its growing AI capabilities to challenge U.S. dominance in the field.
The Trump administration, which unveiled its “AI Action Plan” last month, has emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in AI but has taken a relatively light-touch approach to regulation compared to President Joe Biden’s earlier policy framework. While Trump publicly acknowledged DeepSeek’s performance as “a positive, as an asset” for America, he also told GOP lawmakers that the development should serve as “a wake-up call” for U.S. industries to “be laser-focused on competing to win.”
Why Research Matters for AI Leadership
Cuban’s argument centers on the idea that cutting-edge AI models are only as strong as the data and intellectual property that power them. By ensuring that groundbreaking research — from medical advancements to new algorithms — is created and retained domestically, the U.S. can both fuel its own AI industry and keep valuable assets out of the hands of competitors.
In his view, research isn’t just an academic exercise; it’s a national strategic advantage. “The IP we create can be licensed for a fee, included in model training, and used to push American AI further ahead,” Cuban said. “But only if we keep supporting the people and institutions that make that IP possible.”
