The global discourse surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) frames the US and China as fierce rivals racing toward the same technological goal, but the reality is more nuanced. An RMIT expert explains.
Adjunct Professor Hugh Davies, School of Design:
“The US and China are authoring AI in fundamentally different ways, informed by local philosophies, political systems, and ideological beliefs.
“Where China has implemented a comprehensive set of AI regulations, the US has embraced a free market, innovation led approach.
“In the US, AI directly threatens jobs exemplified by Meta cutting thousands of staff as it heavily invests in the technology. In contrast, China’s strict labour protections and a robust court system prevent workers from being outright replaced with AI.
“US firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic rely on closed, commercial models, whereas Chinese companies including DeepSeek, Tencent, and Alibaba promote open-source AI to encourage widespread adoption and innovation.
“These alternate AI systems are not simply competing technologies but contrasting views of law, governance, knowledge, privacy, intellectual property, culture, and the relationship between citizens, corporations and the state.
“Understanding the differences helps people critically evaluate the biases, limitations, and values embedded in each.
“With AI increasingly informing information, communication, thinking and decision making, AI literacy becomes essential for navigating a contested digital world.”
Hugh Davies is an adjunct lecturer and research fellow at RMIT Media and Communication/ Design and Creative Practice. He has over 20 years of experience across Australia and Asia in digital gaming, creative strategy and design research. From 2022 to 2026, he was president of the Chinese Digital Games Research Association.
***
