What Americans think about the global AI race

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 36% of Americans believe China is more advanced than the United States in developing artificial intelligence, while only 12% say the U.S. is ahead. The survey of 3,488 adults conducted in June also shows that 43% of Americans consider it extremely or very important for the U.S. to be the world leader in AI development, and 51% think AI will increase the gap between rich and poor countries.

By a three-to-one margin, Americans are more likely to say that China, not the United States, is more advanced when it comes to developing artificial intelligence. However, many U.S. adults say they’re not sure who is more advanced, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. As the U.S. and China compete for AI dominance https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/us-and-china-ai-strategy-causing-global-ai-divide , 43% of Americans say it is extremely or very important that the U.S. is the world’s leader in developing AI. Another 22% say this is not too or not at all important. And as concerns persist about the winners and losers of a global AI race https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/07/1167848 , 51% of Americans say that AI will increase the gap between rich and poor countries overall. These are among the findings from a survey of 3,488 adults conducted in June. Is the U.S. or China more advanced in developing AI? More Americans think that China is further advanced than the U.S. when it comes to developing AI 36% than say the U.S. is more advanced than China 12% . Another 18% say the two countries are about equally advanced. And 33% are not sure which nation is more advanced in developing AI. | U.S. is more advanced than China | Both are equally advanced | China is more advanced than U.S. | Spacer | Not sure | Grouping | | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | U.S. adults | 12 | 18 | 36 | 19 | 33 | all | | Men | 18 | 22 | 31 | 14 | 29 | gender | | Women | 7 | 14 | 41 | 23 | 37 | gender | | Rep/Lean Rep | 17 | 20 | 30 | 18 | 33 | party | | Dem/Lean Dem | 9 | 16 | 43 | 17 | 32 | party | | Uses AI chatbots | 16 | 20 | 36 | 13 | 28 | usage | | Does not use AI chatbots | 9 | 16 | 36 | 24 | 38 | usage | There are interesting demographic gaps on this question: - Men are much more likely than women to say the U.S. is more advanced than China on AI development 18% vs. 7% . But more men and women alike still say China is more advanced 31% and 41%, respectively . - Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party are more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to say the U.S. is the leader in AI 17% vs. 9% . But again, more in each coalition say that China is the leader. There are also some differences based on whether people ever use AI chatbots. Americans who don’t use them are more unsure about AI development. Those who use AI chatbots are more likely to say the U.S. is leading more than those who don’t 16% vs. 9% . Still, equally large shares 36% each say that China is more advanced than the U.S. Related: People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S. How important is it for the U.S. to lead on AI? Most Americans think it is at least somewhat important for the U.S. to be the world leader in developing AI. Around four-in-ten say this is extremely or very important, while 22% say it’s not too or not at all important. | Extremely/Very | Somewhat | Not too/Not at all | Grouping | | |---|---|---|---|---| | U.S. adults | 43 | 34 | 22 | All | | Men | 50 | 31 | 18 | Gender | | Women | 36 | 36 | 25 | Gender | | Ages 18-29 | 26 | 37 | 36 | Age | | 30-49 | 37 | 35 | 25 | Age | | 50-64 | 51 | 33 | 16 | Age | | 65+ | 56 | 30 | 11 | Age | | Some college or less | 39 | 35 | 24 | Education | | Bachelor’s + | 50 | 31 | 18 | Education | | Rep/Lean Rep | 54 | 32 | 14 | Party | | Dem/Lean Dem | 34 | 35 | 29 | Party | Men are more likely than women to say leading on AI is extremely or very important 50% vs. 36% . There is a similar gap between Americans with and without a bachelor’s degree 50% vs. 39% . Older adults are also much more likely than younger ones to think the U.S. should be the AI leader. In fact, those ages 65 and older are more than twice as likely as 18- to 29-year-olds to say this is extremely or very important. In addition, 54% of Republicans say being the AI leader is important, compared with 34% of Democrats. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has declared that the U.S. “ must have the most powerful AI systems https://www.ai.gov/action-plan in the world” and is “in a race to achieve global dominance in artificial intelligence.” Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat, also emphasized keeping AI technology away from adversaries https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/politics/biden-administration-rules-artificial-intelligence.html like China to prevent them from using it for cyberattacks or military augmentation. Related: Do Americans Think the Country Is Losing or Gaining Ground in Science? https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2026/01/15/do-americans-think-the-country-is-losing-or-gaining-ground-in-science/ Will AI increase the gap between rich and poor countries? | Category | Percentage | |---|---| | Increase the gap between rich and poor countries | 51% | | Decrease the gap between rich and poor countries | 7% | | Not make much difference | 16% | | Not sure | 25% | Amid concerns about unequal access to AI across the world https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/01/un-report-ai-inequality , 51% of Americans say AI will increase the gap between rich and poor countries. Fewer say AI will not make much of a difference 16% or will decrease the gap 7% . A quarter are unsure. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say AI will increase inequality 60% vs. 45% . Americans with a bachelor’s degree are also more likely than those without one to think the gap between countries will widen 62% vs. 46% . And Americans who use AI chatbots are more likely than those who don’t use them to say this 55% vs. 47% . Note: Here are our survey questions for this analysis, the detailed responses and the survey methodology.