TL;DR
The US-China AI race is not a clash of diverging futures but two countries rushing toward a similar one, with differences in politics and deployment emphasis.
The author went to China expecting sharp contrasts with the US, and came back surprised by the similarities: both countries are sprinting toward a similar AI future.\n\n## Familiar optimism and dynamism\n\nWhat struck the author was a familiar sense of dynamism and optimism, common in the US but rare in Europe, and very much alive in China.\n\n## Deployment first, chips not the whole story\n\nChina's focus is on embedding AI in the physical world: robotics, manufacturing, EVs. One researcher argued data, not chips, is the real constraint, suggesting US export controls may be fighting yesterday's war.\n\n## The other side of safety and surveillance\n\nAI safety in China is now within the national security framework, and rapid progress comes at the cost of individual liberty and due process, with surveillance cameras on every block.
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