The race between the United States and China for artificial intelligence leadership is often portrayed as a winner-takes-all struggle with enormous military consequences. But The Atlantic (full article available to subscribers) argues that the more immediate challenge may be economic, with China increasingly capable of turning AI into affordable products and integrating the technology into its industrial economy.
Some American AI researchers and national-security experts envision extreme scenarios in which advanced Chinese systems create superior missile defenses, drone armies, biological weapons, or even engineered humans. Such possibilities assume the arrival of superintelligent AI capable of giving one country an overwhelming strategic advantage. Yet whether such technology will emerge is uncertain, and converting AI-generated discoveries into physical weapons or infrastructure could take years.
China’s more tangible advantage lies in commercialization. Models from Chinese developers such as Moonshot AI, Z.ai, DeepSeek, and Alibaba are approaching the capabilities of leading American systems while costing considerably less to use. Meanwhile, China’s manufacturing strength gives it an established base in solar equipment, electric vehicles, robotics, and other technologies that could benefit from AI.
The country could also extend its technological influence internationally. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has already helped build ports, power plants, fiber-optic networks, and data centers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Adding Chinese AI services to this infrastructure could deepen other countries’ technological dependence on Beijing and potentially strengthen China’s political influence.
The article also questions whether framing AI primarily as a geopolitical arms race benefits the public. Silicon Valley has repeatedly invoked competition with China when arguing against regulation or seeking favorable technology policies.
Rather than focusing solely on which nation wins, the article suggests examining what kind of AI society actually needs. Privacy protections, competition, surveillance, democratic institutions, and the distribution of AI’s economic benefits may ultimately matter more than winning an abstract technological race.
