AI educational race between China and USA brings some hope
As global powers invest in shaping the next generation of AI innovators, classrooms emerge as unexpected arenas where technology, diplomacy, and geopolitics converge.
The AI race between China and the USA shifts to classrooms. As AI governance expert Jovan Kurbalija highlights in his analysis of global AI strategies, two countries see AI literacy as a ‘strategic imperative’. From President Trump’s executive order to advance AI education to China’s new AI education strategy, both superpowers are betting big on nurturing homegrown AI talent.
Kurbalija sees focus on AI education as a rare bright spot in increasingly fractured tech geopolitics: ‘When students in Shanghai debug code alongside peers in Silicon Valley via open-source platforms, they’re not just building algorithms—they’re building trust.’
This grassroots collaboration, he argues, could soften the edges of emerging AI nationalism and support new types of digital and AI diplomacy.
He concludes that the latest AI education initiatives are ‘not just about who wins the AI race but, even more importantly, how we prepare humanity for the forthcoming AI transformation and coexistence with advanced technologies.’
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!
About author
DW Team
The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.
