Gov. Josh Shapiro says that the next big national security test for the country is artificial intelligence and that Pennsylvania can and will be a leader in America’s race versus China.

Speaking on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box,’ the governor discussed Monday’s announcement that Amazon will be investing $20 billion to create AI innovation campuses in the Commonwealth.

“It’s important to note that this is just an initial investment coming from Amazon, so this is going to grow,” Shapiro told host Joe Kernan. “Pennsylvania is going to be better off. I think America is going to be better off because we’re going to win the battle of AI supremacy and it’s going to be done right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro said that he anticipates the creation of approximately 10,000 construction jobs and about 12,150 permanent jobs in the first two facilities in Luzerne and Bucks counties. And he pointed out that the state is not providing any funding to Amazon.

“We’ve created a nexus between our community colleges in the area, our high schools in the area, to be able to train students to be able to go and work directly in these AI facilities. That’s actually investing in the workforce.”

“I was in Luzerne County with the folks from Amazon making this announcement,” he continued. “This is a community that, over time, has been hollowed out, that’s been desperate for job creation, and we delivered that yesterday, and that was only one of the sites that we announced. Now the important thing is making sure we give the skills to those who live in Luzerne County, love Luzerne County, so they can stay in the community that they love, and they can work and be a part of this.”

The governor also laid out what he sees as the next race between the U.S. and China.

“Are we going to win the battle of AI supremacy, or are we going to see the ground to China?,” he asked. “I do not want to cede anything to Communist China. I want to win here in America. And the way we win here in America is with the hands of Pennsylvania workers, just as we’ve done throughout our history.”

Shapiro was also queried on two of the most-talked about issues of the day – the unrest in Los Angeles and antisemitism on college campuses.

“Violence has no place in our communities, period. No if ands or buts, there must be order in communities. And, by the way, you can have order and you can still allow for peaceful protest. That is the American way.

“I take very, very seriously the leadership role I have of the Pennsylvania State Police, and that I am the commander in chief of the Pennsylvania National Guard. I’ve deployed our guards, people here inside the boundaries of Pennsylvania, after, say, a natural disaster, they do great work. I’ve also deployed our National Guard troops to the southern border to work with our federal partners to make sure the border is secure. I share that with you because I want you know we’ve been involved in both federal and state run operations. The key to all of that is making sure you have organized communication between the federal government and the state government.”

Shapiro also spoke of his concerns about the war of words between President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“I think it’s also not helpful when the leaders of the federal government and state government are pointing fingers at one another. I think what we need to do is turn down the temperature there, stop pointing fingers, make sure the people who have the skills necessary to restore calm and order and deal with violence are the ones on the front lines.”

The governor also said he has continued conversations with J. Larry Jameson, president of the University of Pennsylvania, about the institution’s work to provide a campus free of antisemitic-fueled violence.

“I think they’ve made a lot of improvements from where they were before,” he said. “It is incredibly important that every single student on campus, regardless of what they look like, where they come from, who they love, who they pray to, has the ability to go to class, get to their dorm room, and be able to participate in campus life free of violence, free of threats. That is both a legal responsibility here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and across the country, and it’s a moral responsibility.

“I do think some of the universities got out of whack, especially last year, and they are now correcting for that, and it is important that those corrections continue. As I said before, there is a place in this country for peaceful protest. What there is not a place for is violence.”

Shapiro also called for those in positions of authority to speak out against antisemitism.

“At this moment in time, leaders, from governors to university presidents, all have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and universally condemn antisemitism. When we do not condemn antisemitism, when we do not condemn other forms of hatred and bigotry, it leads to the kind of political violence that we’ve seen throughout this commonwealth and throughout this country.

“We have got to all stand up, Republicans and Democrats alike, and condemn the voices that are leading to violence in our politics, on our campuses, on our streets, of our cities and towns. It is not okay, and we all have to forcefully condemn it, and we have to not create space for it, and we have to not reward political actors who decide to engage in it, period.”