COVID-19 could erode Pentagon's progress with dual-use technology startups, Silicon Valley warns

The economic slowdown brought on by COVID-19 could set back the Pentagon's nascent efforts to leverage commercial technologies, as venture capital funding recedes and big-money government contracts for nontraditional companies remain elusive, according to new reports and interviews with Silicon Valley insiders.

In a white paper released earlier this month, the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence warns the economic downturn's duration and its effects on the technology sector "will determine whether the United States preserves its advantages in artificial...