Competing ambitions regarding the global governance of artificial intelligence: China, the US, and the EU

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are developed and used across borders and have the potential to transform societies worldwide, global regulation thereof becomes necessary. However, key differences exist in how the leading players in the field, China, the United States, and the EU, view these technologies and approach their regulation. This article traces their respective ambitions on the global governance of AI technologies. It asks how the three each envision the latter as well as their role therein. Drawing on frame analysis, we find that while concrete ideas for coordinating regulation attempts seem to be of secondary importance, all three actors feel the need to position themselves within the new race for leadership on AI regulation. This results in a flurry of suggested proposals on how AI should be regulated internationally. Only recently have the actors started to reflect on why global regulation is necessary and to highlight the respective benefits of their proposal. Amidst current geopolitical tensions, the global regulation of AI has become an instrument of global power ambitions. Such competition bears huge risks for the further fragmentation of the global institutional architecture as well as for deepening tensions between China, the US, and the EU.