Image created using DALL·E 3 with this prompt: A view of the Earth, from outer space, where each country is filled/populated with the AI systems they have created and built. Futuristic, idealistic. Aspect ratio: 16×9.

Is “AI Nationalism” a thing? Several countries have recently launched initiatives to establish themselves as frontrunners in the AI race.

Abu Dhabi unveiled AI71, a state-backed firm to commercialize its Falcon language model. In France, Mistral – a new AI entity – secured a substantial $400m funding, signaling a growing national interest in the field. India’s AI landscape saw two major developments: Crutrim introduced India’s first multilingual language model, and Sarvam secured substantial funding for a similar project.

Are these moves the start of a trend toward nationalized AI capabilities?

Today, the U.S. and China lead the AI race, with the U.S. concentrating on expanding domestic chip manufacturing and implementing strict export controls, and China investing heavily in its chip supply chain and directing private capital toward strategic technologies. The Gulf states, leveraging their financial resources and autocratic governance, are also making significant strides in AI, evidenced by the recent advancements in their AI models and educational institutions. European nations – including the EU, Germany, and France – are fostering their AI sectors through incentives for chip production and data-sharing policies. India is similarly encouraging local manufacturing and data center expansion.

As you can imagine, each of these AI models will have their own unique biases. Some are more overt than others; China has mandated that its AI models follow “core values of socialism.” I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t sound like an AI model I’d like to be forced to use.

What impact will this explosion of state-serving super-automation tools have on international relations, the global economy, and war-fighting?

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