Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

US-China tech war and secrecy over AI do neither side any good

US-China tech war and secrecy over AI do neither side any good

AI can only succeed if both tech superpowers find common ground. The US can learn from China in raising public support for AI, while China should open up to major US tech players.

The Pentagon’s first chief software officer resigned recently, citing his disappointment at the US military’s slow progress in developing artificial intelligence, among other things. Indeed, public opinion of AI in the United States is low – a 2019 survey found that 35 per cent disagree that AI will make workers better off, compared to 31 per cent who agree.

Still, the US need not declare defeat in its AI war with China – indeed, talk of a tech war is fruitless.

Both governments have invested huge sums in their emerging digital technology sectors in their aim to become global tech innovation hubs. And both countries are increasingly nationalistic over sharing AI developments.

Approaching AI with an air of secretiveness will serve neither country in the long run. Instead, China and the US must find common ground in their efforts to develop AI – they exhibit unique strengths and areas for improvement, and can learn from each other’s vastly different approaches.

In the US, research contributions to AI are unparalleled. Nearly 50 per cent of American AI researchers have over 10 years of experience in the field, compared to only 25 per cent of Chinese AI researchers, according to a study published in 2019. Big names such as Meta (formerly Facebook), Google and IBM invest heavily in AI applications, helping to keep the US at the frontiers of innovation.

The US also has a strong track record of attracting tech talent from abroad. Between 1998 and 2017, for example, the country welcomed 1,283 foreign AI academic researchers.

The US can continue to make great strides in AI development, as long as it can better show the value of AI to its citizens. It can look to China, where the government’s spearheading of AI education initiatives has led to a highly positive perceptions in the general populace.

In 2017, China laid out a national AI plan, including to introduce artificial intelligence as an academic discipline. A year later, the education ministry had a detailed five-year plan to develop 50 AI research centres, and train more than 500 teachers and 5,000 students.

Chinese firms understand that AI is revolutionising almost all aspects of consumers’ lives, while 92 per cent of businesses in the country use automation technologies or plan to in the next 12 months, according to the 2021 IBM Global AI Adoption Index.

The Chinese government has also set clear goals in its 14th five-year plan to foster its emerging digital tech sector. This tech-friendly attitude from regulators and the government, combined with businesses’ strong focus on digitalisation and innovation, allow China to remain at the forefront of new technology trends.

But Beijing’s decision to block key international players (such as Meta and Google) from its domestic market is detrimental to its global ambition of AI dominance. At the very least, China should partially open up to international competition if it wants to secure its role as a global AI powerhouse.

The Greater Bay Area, home to over 40 unicorns (start-ups with a valuation of more than US$1 billion) collectively valued at US$1.1 trillion, could be one area in which Beijing takes a step towards international collaboration.

However, for AI and machine intelligence to succeed, we must first put in place the right human guidance and ingenuity.

In my recent research with collaborators from Shanghai, Philadelphia and Hong Kong, we found that simply having a chief information officer (CIO) in a company had a profound effect on the development of its AI orientation, yet the specific role of CIOs in shaping information technology strategies remains poorly understood.

This is particularly so in emerging markets where IT leaders are not well represented in top management teams.

For example, whereas 4.6 per cent of S&P 1500 firms listed on the ExecuComp database had a formal CIO or chief technology officer, only 1.8 per cent of the 3,600 public firms listed on the China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database in 2018 had a formal CIO role. Companies based in both countries should consider restructuring to include CIO roles.

Both China and the US have made invaluable contributions to the AI field. While competition has created much stress in US-China relations, AI also offers many opportunities for collaboration. Instead of keeping each other’s contributions out of sight, both stand to gain if they adopt new approaches to AI based on each other’s experiences.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×