The so-called “AI race” is a tale of two polar extremes. On one end is the Silicon Valley model, where powerful, resource-heavy AI development wreaks havoc on the population, driven by what is arguably the most powerful corporate power consolidation to ever exist. Across the Pacific it’s another story, where intense competition and people-centric AI regulation mean that today’s top performer could be tomorrow’s bottom-feeder.
Given that the two strategies are chasing vastly different outcomes, it can be difficult to tell whether the US or China is pulling ahead at any given moment. One clue that just might offer a clearer picture than benchmark scores or patent filings: what the rest of the world actually thinks.
According to a new global poll conducted by the UK firm Public First and flagged by Politico, respondents in 11 out of 15 countries surveyed now believe China has surpassed the US in AI capability and innovation — leaving just respondents in Japan, India, Vietnam, and the US itself on the side of Uncle Sam.
Even within the United States, sentiments aren’t looking good. According to the poll, just 51 percent of US citizens see their own country as dominating the AI race. That doesn’t necessarily mean they think China’s ahead — 24 percent of US residents responded that “China is leading” while 25 percent went with “don’t know” — but the fact that nearly half of all US respondents were down on their own country’s AI capabilities is telling.
More telling, perhaps, are opinions from the US’ neighbors. In Mexico, just 36 percent of respondents think the US is ahead, while 49 percent say China holds the lead. Canadian opinion is an outright bloodbath: 27 percent favor their neighbor to the South, while 40 percent think it’s the People’s Republic.
Typical US allies were likewise unimpressed by Silicon Valley, with the opinion in France exactly in tune with that of Canada, and the United Kingdom ringing in at 26 percent for the US, and 44 percent for China.
Whether this shift in world opinion reflects growing revulsion at the American model or genuine admiration for China’s approach is hard to untangle. What’s clear is that if the US tech industry intends to keep doubling down on its extractive, worker-hostile strategy, it faces a serious legitimacy crisis far beyond what any single company can hope to solve.
**More on China’s AI: **China Cracking Down on the Types of AI That Are Tearing America Apart