ThinkTankWeekly

The Myth of the AI Race

Foreign Affairs | 2026-01-12 | china_indopacific

Topics: AI, China, Nuclear, United States, Indo-Pacific

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English Summary

The article argues that the framing of AI development as a zero-sum 'race' is misleading, challenging the premise that global AI dominance will yield a single victor. Key evidence suggests that the world's two leading AI powers, the United States and China, are not converging on the same technological or strategic path. Policymakers should therefore abandon the 'race' mentality and instead focus on understanding the divergent development trajectories of major powers. This shift implies that strategic planning must account for distinct, non-parallel AI advancements rather than anticipating a single global finish line.

中文摘要

本文論述將人工智慧(AI)發展框架為零和「競賽」是誤導性的,挑戰了全球AI霸權必然產生單一勝者的前提。關鍵證據顯示,全球兩大AI強國——美國和中國——並未朝向相同的技術或戰略路徑匯聚。因此,政策制定者應摒棄「競賽」心態,轉而關注理解主要大國之間分化的發展軌跡。這一轉變意味著,戰略規劃必須考慮到獨立、非平行的AI進展,而非預期一個單一的全球終點線。

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