Running the Right Artificial Intelligence Race
A National Strategy for AI Diffusion
Expert InsightsPublished Sep 30, 2025
The author avers that the United States is training for the wrong artificial intelligence (AI) race. National security circles see the U.S.-China AI competition as a sprint toward a clear finish line: the first country to introduce a discrete artificial general intelligence capability. This sprint, according to those who espouse this view, will be decided in the next few years. In this paper, the author outlines a race format more suitable to how AI competition will unfold: an AI diffusion marathon. The bulk of the paper fleshes out how the United States should implement a national strategy for AI diffusion.
Topics
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Web-Only
- Year: 2025
- Pages: 8
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/PEA4165-1
- Document Number: PE-A4165-1
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Ding, Jeffrey, Running the Right Artificial Intelligence Race: A National Strategy for AI Diffusion, RAND Corporation, PE-A4165-1, September 2025. As of May 5, 2026: https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA4165-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Ding, Jeffrey, Running the Right Artificial Intelligence Race: A National Strategy for AI Diffusion. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA4165-1.html.
Research conducted by
This work was independently initiated and conducted within the Technology and Security Policy Center of RAND Global and Emerging Risks using income from operations and gifts from philanthropic supporters. A complete list of donors and funders is available at www.rand.org/TASP.
This publication is part of the RAND expert insights series. The expert insights series presents perspectives on timely policy issues.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.