Plugged in, not locked in: middle powers navigate US-China AI rivalry

Middle powers are navigating the US-China AI rivalry by favoring flexible partnerships over closed alliances, as discussed at a forum in Shenzhen co-hosted by the Shenzhen Loop Area Institute and the Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW) at the University of Hong Kong. Alejandro Reyes, an adjunct professor at the University of Hong Kong and senior fellow at CCCW, emphasized that middle powers want to "plug in" rather than be "locked in" to any single camp.

He highlighted the importance of network sovereignty, where countries maintain domestic control over critical aspects of AI technology, such as data and public-service AI, while diversifying upstream suppliers to prevent monopolistic leverage. The US and China are competing for influence in AI infrastructure investment in regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with both countries offering different strengths in terms of venture capital, tech giants, and cost-effective models.

Reyes argued that policymakers must build a "collaboration stack" to address the lag in multilateral rule-making and implementation in AI governance.

Brief written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.