The high-stakes race to control AI, with Ben Buchanan

The race for artificial intelligence supremacy is accelerating, and the stakes couldn't be higher. The US and China are competing to develop increasingly powerful AI systems that could transform economies, militaries, and the global balance of power. But as the technology advances, so do the risks. Could the race to build superintelligent machines outpace humanity's ability to control them?
On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks with Ben Buchanan, former White House AI advisor and co-author of The Bitter Struggle: Superintelligence, Superpowers, and the Fate of the World, about the competition shaping the future of AI.

Buchanan explains why Washington has sought to restrict China's access to advanced chips, how AI could give authoritarian governments new tools for surveillance and repression, and why the technology's development poses unique challenges for democracies.They also discuss the growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks, the difficulty of regulating technology largely controlled by private companies, and Buchanan's argument that the US should build a technological lead over China and then use that advantage to prioritize safety. Ultimately, the question isn't just whether America can win the AI race. It's whether it can do so without undermining the democratic principles it's trying to defend.