The U.S. and China are both racing to advance artificial intelligence, but they may not be running the same race. Graham Webster, research scholar at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, joins Elisa Poteat to examine China’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem, from open-weight reasoning models and semiconductor constraints to Beijing’s approach to regulation and risk. They explore what China means by keeping AI “under human control,” how Chinese and American policymakers perceive AI safety differently, and whether competition between the two countries is obscuring a much more complicated technological landscape.

Graham Webster is a research scholar in Stanford University’s Program on Geopolitics, Technology, and Governance and editor-in-chief of the DigiChina Project, where his work focuses on technology policy in China and U.S.–China relations.

References:

• Graham Webster, “Will China Crack Down on Open-Weight Models?” Tech Policy Press, August 17, 2026
• Graham Webster, Here It Comes, Substack
• Graham Webster, Here It Comes with Graham Webster, Apple Podcasts
• Xi Jinping, “Joining Hands to Build a Just and Equitable System for Global AI Governance,” 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, July 17, 2026
• Dario Amodei, “We Must Pace the Frontier,” September 2026
• State Council of the People’s Republic of China, “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan,” July 20, 2017
• “Internet Information Service Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions,” effective March 1, 2022
• The Wall Street Journal, “China Also Thinks AI Could Kill Us. But First, It Wants to Match the U.S.,” September 14, 2026