The U.S. and China Are Pursuing Different AI Futures

More money has been invested in AI than it took to land on the moon. Spending on the technology this year is projected to reach up to $700 billion, almost double last year’s spending. Part of the impetus for this frantic outlay is a conviction among investors and policymakers in the United States that it needs to “beat China.” Indeed, headlines have long cast AI development as a zero-sum rivalry between the U.S. and China, framing the technology’s advance as an arms race with a defined finish line. The narrative implies speed, symmetry, and a common objective.But a closer look at AI development in the two countries shows they’re not only not racing toward the same finish line: “The U.S. and China are running in very different lanes,” says Selina Xu, who leads China and AI policy research for Eric Schmidt, the tech investor, philanthropist and former Google chief, in New York City. “The U.S. is doubling down on scaling,” in pursuit of artificial general intelligence (