The development of advanced AI is heavily concentrated in a small number of countries, with the United States dominant and China as the primary competitor. The US hosts all major Western frontier AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta AI) and attracts the majority of global AI talent. China, while behind on some measures, is investing heavily and has made significant progress, particularly in applications and increasingly in frontier research.
This geographic concentration has profound implications. The values and priorities of US and Chinese societiesâand their governmentsâwill be disproportionately embedded in AI systems that affect the entire world. Countries without frontier AI capability will be dependent on others for transformative technology. The US-China rivalry creates racing dynamics that may undermine safety, while making international coordination on AI governance extremely difficult.
Other regionsâthe EU, UK, Japan, and emerging powersâface strategic questions about AI development. The EU has chosen regulatory leadership over capability development. The UK aims to balance safety research with competitiveness. Smaller countries must navigate a world where AI power is concentrated elsewhere.