AI: Two very different roads to global influence. The AI race.

US vs EU - Race for AI global influence

The White House’s announcement of America’s AI Action Plan (July 2025), is a reminder that the race to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence is no longer just about technology, it is also about who sets the rules, builds the infrastructure, and wins trust worldwide.

Washington’s approach is acceleration-ist, pushing deregulation, capital investment in data centers, scaling the power grid, and rapid deployment of AI across defense and industry. Most importantly, it views AI as soft power. Exporting the “American AI stack” to allies, embedding U.S. standards globally, and locking in strategic dependencies. The U.S. is betting on speed, scale, and strategic alliances; building influence through capability and adoption. Perhaps another chapter in American exceptionalism, albeit ironic at a time when U.S. foreign policy often signals retreat from global leadership.

Brussels, by contrast, has taken a values-first route. The EU AI Act is the world’s first binding, risk-based AI law, banning harmful uses and imposing strict rules on high-risk systems. Its AI Continent Plan aims to match capacity in compute, data, and skills, positioning Europe as a trusted supplier and not just a regulator. The EU’s soft power lies in its regulatory gravity: if you want access to the EU market, you play by EU rules. Europe is betting on trust, governance, and standards to shape global norms.

AI geopolitics: U.S. vs EU - two very different roads to global influence. A race towards influence and values. In the end, whichever path achieves technical superiority will prevail, proving Robert Wright’s golden words from NonZero: History, Evolution & Human Cooperation: “To stop technical progress is to reserve a place in the dustbin of history.”