CSET

The U.S.–China AI Competition: Two Paths to Artificial General Intelligence

William Hannas,

Huey-Meei Chang,

and Owen Daniels

November 9, 2026

The United States leads the world in frontier AI models and computing, but China is pursuing broader paths toward artificial general intelligence, including robotics, “embodiment,” and brain-inspired systems. A forthcoming CSET study compares the two countries’ strengths and asks what U.S. policymakers may miss when they treat AI competition as a single race.