DeepSeek disruption: how far will US go to keep its advanced AI lead over China?

Name: Trump: Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek’s strong showing a ‘wake-up call’ for US tech sector
Uploaded: 2025-02-04T06:00:14.000Z
Duration: 1 min 18 s
Description: Trump: Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek’s strong showing a ‘wake-up call’ for US tech sector

Speaking at launch of new China-focused think tank, AI policy expert Jeffrey Ding says US has a ‘durable lead’ over China

Reading Time:3 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Jeffrey Ding, an assistant professor at George Washington University, says China’s civil-military integration still lags behind that of the US. Image: Reuters

Bochen Hanin Washington

Published: 2:00pm, 4 Feb 2025Updated: 2:45pm, 4 Feb 2025

The US holds a “durable lead” over China in deploying advanced artificial intelligence technology at scale and harnessing civilian resources for military use, a leading AI policy expert has argued, as Washington weighs its response to the emergence of Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek.

“The US has a pretty durable lead in this technology, not just in its ability to adopt it throughout the entire economy at scale, but also in its ability to mobilise civilian resources for military advantage,” said Jeffrey Ding, an assistant professor at George Washington University.

Jeffrey Ding, assistant professor at George Washington University. Photo: Handout

Speaking on Monday at the launch of a new China-focused think tank at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Ding argued that China’s civil-military integration still lagged behind that of the United States.

“China does not have its leading tech companies providing cloud computing services towards its military,” he said, citing it as an example of the gap.

Ding, known for his “diffusion capacity” argument – which emphasises that AI dominance depends on a nation’s ability to adopt and integrate AI, not just innovate – made his remarks as policymakers debate whether the US should be more active in constraining China’s AI development.

The Hangzhou-based company DeepSeek sent shock waves through the global tech market last month after it released two powerful new AI models built at a fraction of the cost and computing power used by American firms to create the technology underpinning generative AI services such as ChatGPT.

01:18

Trump: Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek’s strong showing a ‘wake-up call’ for US tech sector