Microsoft’s chief scientist, Eric Horvitz, has expressed concern over the Trump administration’s decision to slash billions in funding for colleges and universities. He has issued a warning that the cuts in US federal funding cuts for academic research may permanently surrender America’s lead in the global AI race to international rivals like China. According to the Financial Times, the cuts have been justified as cost-cutting measures or by ideological stances, such as blocking grants for diversity initiatives.“I personally find it hard to see the logic of trying to compete with competitor nations at the same time as making these cuts,” said Horvitz, who is a veteran executive and the company’s first-ever Chief Scientific Officer.According to the report, since 2025, the administration has scrapped more than 1,600 National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, totaling nearly $1 billion in lost funding. Horvitz argues that this move dismantles a unique American success story that began in 1950 with the creation of the NSF that is currently responsible for over 25% of all federal basic research funding for US colleges.“That vision turned out to be an impressive way to make an investment in the future. By betting on intellect and ideas, we can make the world better in surprising ways,” Horvitz noted, adding that without this historic government support, the US would be “decades away” from the current AI revolution.“The core ideas behind these large-scale language models… were developed by people pursuing questions about intelligence of the type you only see in discussions at universities,” Horvitz emphasised.
Horvitz’s ‘Brain Drain’ warning to Trump administration
He added that the impact of the funding freeze will eventually lead to brain drain wherein the industry required to get an edge will move to other nations that are currently replicating the US model of state funding.“Other countries are following what was a very unique American model. If we don’t follow that model, the talent magnet, the training and the curiosity-driven investments will happen elsewhere. More than they do here,” said Horvitz.
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