America's AI Power Grab: Can Technological Dominance Be Preserved?

Recent discussions surrounding America's determination to retain leadership in Artificial Intelligence raise an intriguing question: Can a nation preserve technological supremacy by keeping its most advanced innovations behind closed doors?

An editorial in The Economist argues that America could reap enormous economic benefits by sharing AI technologies with Europe and trusted allies, much as it has done with previous generations of innovation. Yet history suggests that nations have always sought to protect technologies they consider strategically vital.

I recall my early years as a trainee Industrial Engineer in India. During that period, American companies closely guarded the methodologies of Value Analysis and Value Engineering developed after the Second World War. These techniques, designed to improve manufacturing processes, optimize packaging, substitute materials, and reduce costs without sacrificing functionality, were considered proprietary assets.

Even seemingly simple analytical frameworks—examining what exactly a product component was intended to "hold," "protect," "raise," or "support"—were treated almost as trade secrets. The underlying belief was straightforward: sharing such knowledge would erode America's competitive advantage.

Yet those once-guarded techniques eventually spread worldwide. Today, Value Engineering is taught in universities, practiced across industries, and regarded as standard management knowledge.

Artificial Intelligence may follow a similar trajectory.

The United States is likely to retain tight control over frontier AI models, advanced semiconductor technologies, and the enormous computing infrastructure needed to train next-generation systems. Such caution is understandable. AI promises not only economic gains but also military and geopolitical advantages.

However, history repeatedly demonstrates that technological monopolies rarely endure indefinitely. Once rivals gain even partial insight into successful approaches, they often devise alternative methods, sometimes producing superior versions. Knowledge leaks through publications, talent migration, open-source initiatives, reverse engineering, and international collaboration.

The true source of America's advantage may not lie solely in secret algorithms. Rather, it rests upon a broader ecosystem: world-class universities, entrepreneurial culture, venture capital, abundant computing resources, and the ability to attract global talent.

Perhaps the most effective strategy for America is neither complete secrecy nor unrestricted openness. Instead, it may seek to share selected AI capabilities with trusted partners while continuously pushing the frontier further ahead.

In the long run, technological leadership belongs not to those who guard secrets most zealously, but to those who innovate faster than others can imitate.

Sources: 

1. America’s AI power grab - From The Economist Dated 20th Jun 2026