The race for artificial intelligence leadership will be the defining economic and national security competition of the 21st century. President Donald Trump understands this, which is why the delegation on his recent trip to China included a who’s who of tech titans. It is a telling sign of just how central AI technology has become to the highest levels of geopolitical deal-making.

For now, the United States holds a meaningful lead. But that advantage is not guaranteed. It depends on whether the rest of the world continues to build on American technology or begins to adopt an alternative stack. That question sits at the center of a growing debate in Washington.