US and Israel Launch High-Level Tech Talks, Washington Concerned About Chinese Influence

The United States and Israel engaged in their first meeting of “U.S.-Israel Strategic High-Level Dialogue on Technology” initiative on Sept. 28 aimed at establishing a partnership on emerging and critical technologies between the nations.

The countries agreed to support research and implementation of a “trustworthy AI in healthcare,” including “fair AI-driven health systems” as well as boosting the ability of health researchers to test the impacts of medicines and treatments, according to a Sept. 30 White House Fact Sheet. They will also explore ways to use AI to develop new crop varieties, including seeds that have a “stronger tolerance to climate change.”

Next month, Israel and the United States plan on signing a Memorandum of Understanding seeking to strengthen cooperation in biomedical research like molecular and genomic medicine. They will work together on global health security and pandemic preparedness.

Climate change technology initiatives will include support for renewable hydrogen and solar energy, extreme weather prediction and disaster risk reduction initiatives, and cooperation on battery supply chains.

“The joint research with the US has been only 19 percent of Israel’s research with other countries, as opposed to 56 percent for Europe,” said Farkash-Hakohen, Israel’s minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, according to a Sept. 29 press release by Israel’s foreign ministry.

“Good partners and allies, like Israel and the US, need and can take significant steps to increase the scope of the joint research that constitutes the basis for high-tech and that is what we are currently doing.”

The Dialogue was agreed upon by President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in July. The Sept. 28 meeting was held in Washington between U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Israeli national security advisor Dr. Eyal Hulata. The next meeting will be held in Israel in 2023.

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