Poster Session 4, 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM: Room 165 [D13]

Presenter: Thalles Winner De Souza

Faculty Sponsor: Paul Kasili

School: Bunker Hill Community College

Research Area: Globalization and Development

ABSTRACT

This research investigates the emerging geopolitical struggle for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI), often described as the “New Cold War.” Unlike the 20th-century arms race centered on nuclear power, the 21st-century competition is defined by data, algorithms, and computing capacity. This study examines how the United States, China, and the European Union are shaping the global balance of power through AI investment, regulation, and strategic innovation, reflecting growing global competition among these powers to dominate artificial intelligence. The preliminary hypothesis suggests that AI has become the defining resource of modern supremacy, determining not only military and economic strength but also control over information, ideology, and global governance. To explore this, the research analyzes government policies such as the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, with the United States investing over $300 billion across public and private sectors to strengthen AI leadership, including $52 billion for semiconductor research and manufacturing. It also examines China’s 2017 AI Development Plan, supported by an estimated $150 billion in state-driven funding, and the European Union’s coordinated AI investments through the Horizon Europe program valued at roughly €200 billion, alongside the AI Act as a global regulatory model, and corporate case studies including OpenAI, Tesla, and NVIDIA. By comparing the West’s innovation-driven model with China’s government-led strategy and Europe’s regulation-centered approach, this project highlights the differing philosophies shaping AI advancement. The study concludes that the AI race extends beyond technology; it represents a struggle over democracy, human rights, and truth. As AI accelerates, global rules struggle worldwide.