US-China Strategic Competition on the Artificial Intelligence Frontier: A Comparative Approach

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the most illustrious, yet enigmatic policy concern at the nexus between technology, business/economics, and geopolitical affairs. AI has become so vital in virtually these and many other field discussions that it is often situated at the core of many academic and foreign policy contentions, including those between the United States and China. The following capstone will use an assortment of previously published academic journal, statistical findings, and original theories inspired by AI private sector investors to answer the question, “to what degree is artificial intelligence a source of US-China strategic competition?”. In doing so, the capstone project will provide a detailed examination of the current status of competition between the US and China in artificial intelligence innovation and seek to debunk the hyperbolized rhetoric around the US-China “AI Cold War” through an original theory called the “AI Ecosystem Hypothesis”. By taking a comparative approach towards measuring innovation competitiveness in both countries, this capstone will also offer a fresh perspective on US-China strategic competition and the implications for world order (or lack thereof). Analyzing the state of geopolitical affairs between the United States and China through the lens of a technical benchmark such as ‘artificial intelligence innovation’ stands as a corrective to the over-politicized debate of US-China rivalries.