Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global economy and international power structures. Control over advanced chips, computing power, cloud platforms and foundational models can give countries significant influence over how others access and use AI.

The United States remains a major force in AI innovation. However, its efforts to extend its technological advantages through export controls, integrated technology exports and international partnerships risk turning technological leadership into a system of global dependence.

From technological leadership to structural dependence

The US AI Action Plan, released in July 2025, prioritizes maintaining American leadership. An executive order issued the same month launched an initiative to promote exports of US AI technologies, combining hardware, data centers, cloud services, models and applications with government financing and support.

While these integrated packages can help countries adopt AI, they may also tie them to a single technology ecosystem, creating long-term dependence on foreign chips, cloud services and models.

This is a new form of structural inequality. Countries that lack their own computing infrastructure and AI capabilities risk remaining consumers of technology, while the most valuable parts of the AI economy remain concentrated among a small number of countries and companies.

The gap is already substantial. According to the World Bank's Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025, high-income economies accounted for 97 percent of global high-performance computing capacity as of June 2025, while low-income countries held less than 0.1% of global data center capacity.

Why a strategy of dominance may backfire

Efforts to restrict access to advanced technologies may encourage other countries to develop alternative chips, models and supply chains. At the same time, AI innovation depends on international research, open-source communities and global talent networks. Excessive restrictions could weaken these networks and undermine the appeal of US technology.

AI-related risks, from cybersecurity threats to misinformation, also cross national borders. If global governance becomes a tool of geopolitical competition, international trust and cooperation will suffer.

AI governance should instead prioritize equal participation, open and interoperable technologies, risk-based safety standards and a meaningful role for developing countries in setting global rules.

China's role in inclusive AI governance

China has put forward initiatives including the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023 and the AI Plus International Cooperation Initiative in 2025. At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in July 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for open cooperation, safe AI development, mutual learning among civilizations and improved global governance.

China can contribute by expanding access to open-source models, training programs, affordable applications and shared computing infrastructure, the author argues. Such cooperation should help partner countries develop local expertise and independent innovation capabilities, while respecting their laws and cultural diversity.

Ultimately, the challenge is to ensure that AI advances benefit more than a handful of technology leaders. A fairer global AI order requires broader access to technology, stronger capacity-building and multilateral rules that give all countries a meaningful stake in shaping the future of AI.

(Shen Yi is a professor at Fudan University's School of International Relations and Public Affairs and Director of its International Governance of Cyberspace Research Center. CGTN reporter Li Shuang also contributed to the article.)