271 As noted on page 8, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth referred to the current state of AI as our space race and the people we’re discussing, especially China, are highly capable… In this context, it is important to remember what the stakes of the Space Race were: proving which political system could innovate faster and win the world’s trust in the process. Coming out on top in the Space Race played a role in enhancing USA’s strategic deterrence and cementing the primacy of western democratic values. The AI ‘space race,’ also has the potential to reshape the world order. China certainly knows these stakes. Back in 2015, ‘Made in China 2025,’ a new Chinese government initiative to shift the country from low-cost to high-value manufacturing in critical industries, seemed decades away. Fast forward to today, and China has dramatically accelerated its capabilities in these strategic sectors like robotics, electrification, and ‘information technology’ – best expressed by world-class artificial intelligence. Chinese AI capabilities now underpin nationally strategic areas such as battlefield logistics, target recognition, cyber operations, and autonomous decision-making platforms. In 2025, Chinese state media highlighted the integration of AI into non-combat support functions (e.g., military hospitals), while the Ministry of Science and Technology reinforced its commitment to ‘indigenous innovation’ in strategic technologies. The implications of Chinese AI supremacy would be profound. As OpenAI’s Sam Altman noted in a July 2024 Washington Post Op-Ed, If [authoritarian regimes] manage to take the lead on AI, they will force U.S. companies and those of other nations to share user data, leveraging the technology to develop new ways of spying on their own citizens or creating next-generation cyberweapons to use against other countries. AI Monetization Threats = Rising Competition + Open-Source Momentum + China’s Rise