China, the U.S., and the EU all frame AI as part of global competition, often described as an ‘AI arms race’. The metaphor casts AI as a zero-sum struggle for technological supremacy, with winners gaining economic, political, and strategic advantages over adversaries. We argue that the arms race framing is misleading because AI development can be positive-sum and combines national innovation with transnational collaboration, serves economic and status as well as security goals, and involves both civilian and military applications. We propose instead the concept of a geopolitical innovation race: competition for technological leadership alongside collaboration, unfolding across networks of companies, states, and research institutions.
Bibliographic record
Diehl, C., Reuter, C. & Schmid, S. (2025). Navigating AI in a Geopolitical Innovation Race. In: Göttsche, M.; Reis, K. & Daase, C. (Eds.). New Realities of AI in Global Security. CNTR Monitor – Technology and Arms Control 2025. PRIF – Peace Research Institute Frankfurt.
Authors
Dr. Stefka Schmid, Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Reuter, Carlo Diehl
