Highlights:
A Race with China?
3/17/26
By:
Miriam Cobb
Ai & China - how are they connected, and how are they not?
“We’re in a race with China”
Who is we? The people of Texas? The United States? Our military? Our corporate workers? The healthcare system?
We’ve got to get specific, because the solution changes based on the answer. Who is at risk of falling behind to China? And who can prevent it?
If it’s corporate America falling behind, Ai in the workforce is not the threat they want it to be - and most American companies are waking up to the reality that it’s better to use humans than just an Ai chatbot (who would’ve thought). In what way could Ai be utilized meaningfully in the workforce that warrants the steamrolling the concerns of landowners and surrounding businesses?
Futurism: Companies That Replaced Humans With AI Are Realizing Their Mistake
Fast Company: AI isn’t replacing humans. It’s reallocating human judgment
AOL: Superhuman CEO says AI isn't taking jobs, it's giving every human 100 digital agents
If it’s a military risk, we probably shouldnt use “the race” as an excuse for the thousands of privately owned Ai company datacenters to be built across Texas.
CNBC: AI data center boom ‘stress tests’ insurers as private capital floods in
Something less and less acknowledged is that our Ai buildouts are reliant on Chinese manufacturing.
How possible is it that we’re in a race that is being supplied by an adversary? Does this reality undermine the argument?
Bloomberg: America's Ai Buildout Hinges on Chinese Parts
Despite the propaganda being pushed out by datacenter companies, researchers have been noting distinct differences in China’s use of Ai.
Ai in China is used extensively for surveillance.
And, if we can believe any source, there are multiple that claim Ai in China is still far behind.
DGAP: China's Ai Powered Surveillance State
CNN: China Ai Censorship Surveillance
Brookings: Competing Ai Strategies for the US and China
The Guardian: China Lags Behind US at Ai Frontier, but Could Quickly Catch Up says Experts
Business INsider: The Gap is Getting Worse
This is NOT to say there is no race or that there is no purpose - this is just to say that the purpose should be questioned. And the answer can’t be, “well, because, China”.
Ai companies have been found to be PAYING media and social influencers to promote China as a grave threat in the Ai race, pouring money into a PAC that will support this narrative. According to Wired, some TikTok makers will be paid $5,000 per video spreading this narrative.
Wired: A Dark-Money Campaign Is Paying Influencers to Frame Chinese AI as a Threat
One last note from researchers:
“Most AI scientists who move to China come from the U.S., and most who move to the U.S. come from China, highlighting a notable bidirectional talent migration. Moreover, the vast majority of those moving in either direction have Asian ancestry. Upon moving, those scientists continue to collaborate frequently with those in the origin country.”
Don’t know. That overlap seems dangerous on its own.
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