Virtual Event | The Stakes of Sino-American AI Competition

The ascent of Chinese AI company DeepSeek has reignited fears that China may supplant the United States as the world's leader in the most transformative technology in a generation. But beyond the considerable economic and military advantages that AI preeminence would confer, the full implications of Sino-American AI competition remain underappreciated—with the technology promising momentous shifts in conflict norms, state power, emerging bioethics, and catastrophic risks that echo the world-altering impacts of nuclear weapons and the space race in the 20th century.

Join the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) on Tuesday, April 29, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET, for a panel discussion exploring how AI competition between Beijing and Washington will shape global norms around autonomous weapons, surveillance states, human genetic engineering, and tech-induced crises. The event will feature experts with experience across academia, think tanks, and government to examine how the United States can navigate these consequential domains amid highly limited prospects for U.S-China cooperation.

The event will build upon CNAS's upcoming report, “Promethean Rivalry: The World-Altering Stakes of Sino-American AI Competition,” in which former Fellow Bill Drexel analyzes the moral questions hanging in the balance of the race for AI supremacy and offers recommendations for how the United States can both secure technical leadership and win global influence in this pivotal competition.

The panel will feature J. Benjamin Hurlbut, PhD, associate professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Yaqiu Wang, Chinese human rights researcher, Jessica Brandt, former director of the Foreign Malign Influence Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Paul Scharre, PhD, executive vice president at CNAS, and will be moderated by Bill Drexel, former fellow at CNAS. The session will conclude with a live Q&A session with the audience.

Featuring:

J. Benjamin Hurlbut, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Yaqiu Wang
Chinese Human Rights Researcher
Former Director of China Research, Freedom House

Jessica Brandt
Former Director of the Foreign Malign Influence Center
Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Paul Scharre, PhD
Executive Vice President
Center for a New American Security

Moderated by:

Bill Drexel
Former Fellow
Technology & National Security Program, Center for a New American Security

For registration questions, contact Jasmine Butler at [email protected]. For media inquiries, contact Alexa Whaley at [email protected].