Sam Bresnick

On Lawfare Daily, @jshermcyber.bsky.social spoke to @sambresnick.bsky.social about his recently published report, “Big Tech in Taiwan,” on 17 companies’ Taiwan entanglements, and how greenfield foreign direct investments, data centers, supply chains, and more expose those companies to Taiwan.

America Must Rebuild Its Physical Economy In order to compete with China and boost growth, the United States must better balance the software and hardware components of its economy.

To do this, the U.S. government should work with allies and partners and invest in industries of the future. By integrating world-class hardware with leading software, Washington can fortify its position against global competitors.

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nationalinterest.org/feature/amer...

Rebuilding the “physical economy” isn't about recapturing past glory; it's about creating a resilient ecosystem where advanced hardware and innovative software co-evolve to meet the demands of modern warfare and the global market.

Rebalancing is the challenge at hand. To remain competitive, U.S. policymakers must ensure that innovation in software is matched by strength in hardware.

Future technological breakthroughs, such as AI-powered drones and autonomous vehicles, demand the seamless integration of software with robust hardware production. Without this balance, the U.S. risks falling behind in the global tech competition.

This divergence is critical. U.S. tech giants may create cutting-edge software, but they lack the ability to produce the physical components that power modern innovations. It’s a split that could expose vulnerabilities in both economic and national security.

At the same time, China has become a competitive player in software and AI. TikTok is one of the world's most popular social media platforms, and DeepSeek has emerged as a critical AI developer.

Meanwhile, China has taken a different route. Its strategy? Double down on manufacturing. Chinese-made EVs make up 76 percent of global sales, while DJI controls 90 percent of the consumer drone market. Beijing also dominates in industrial robots.

The US built an economic dynamo by shifting from building tangible products to focusing on software. Yet, this lean towards the digital has left a gap—a diminished capacity for advanced manufacturing in sectors like EVs, drones, and robotics.

America Must Rebuild Its Physical Economy In order to compete with China and boost growth, the United States must better balance the software and hardware components of its economy.

In The National Interest, @jack-corrigan.bsky.social and I argue the US-China tech race will be defined by the integration of advanced software and hardware. US firms lead in AI, but CN companies now dominate emerging hardware. The US risks falling way behind.
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nationalinterest.org/feature/amer...

U.S. AI firms, take note! An op-ed by @sambresnick.bsky.social and @colemcfaul.bsky.social in @barrons.com argues that China's "good enough" AI strategy (think DeepSeek) could disrupt the market.

It's about affordable tech. Huawei playbook 2.0? Open-source Chinese models are closing the gap, fast.

Chinese AI Is Following a Familiar Playbook. U.S. Firms Should Worry. DeekSeek is following a trail blazed by Chinese companies such as Huawei, Sam Bresnick and Cole McFaul write in a guest commentary.

Check out the latest from @sambresnick.bsky.social and @colemcfaul.bsky.social on how “good enough” Chinese tech could come to dominate exquisite US tech in global adoption of AI www.barrons.com/articles/dee...

Chinese AI Is Following a Familiar Playbook. U.S. Firms Should Worry. DeekSeek is following a trail blazed by Chinese companies such as Huawei, Sam Bresnick and Cole McFaul write in a guest commentary.

In @barrons.com, @colemcfaul.bsky.social and I argue that the U.S.-China AI competition could hinge on cost rather than capabilities and explain why DeepSeek has more in common with Huawei than Sputnik.

www.barrons.com/articles/dee...

MWI Podcast: DeepSeek and the US-China AI Race - Modern War Institute On January 20, the Chinese company DeepSeek released a new AI large language model, called DeepSeek-R1. The company was only founded a little over a year earlier, and yet this model's capability was l...

.@csetgeorgetown.bsky.social's Bill Hannas and I joined the Modern War Institute's podcast to discuss what DeepSeek means for the U.S.-China AI competition. We touch on export controls and alternative pathways to advanced AI, among other topics. Check it out here:

mwi.westpoint.edu/mwi-podcast-...

Does China's DeepSeek Mean U.S. AI Is Sunk? | Opinion While new AI models often generate buzz, R1's release is especially notable in light of the U.S. government's recent efforts to curtail China's AI ambitions.

CSETers @jackcorrigan.bsky.social and @sambresnick.bsky.social wrote for @newsweek.com on how Stargate and DeepSeek show the divergent approaches the US & China are taking toward advanced models. The U.S. big bet is on compute; the PRC is necessarily lower compute www.newsweek.com/does-chinas-...

A few thoughts from me and the @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social hivemind on developments over the last week (Stargate, DeepSeek, etc.). These events aren't necessarily surprising from an analytical lens, but they certainly seem to have caught markets and the media off guard.

Does China's DeepSeek Mean U.S. AI Is Sunk? | Opinion While new AI models often generate buzz, R1's release is especially notable in light of the U.S. government's recent efforts to curtail China's AI ambitions.

In @newsweek.com, @jack-corrigan.bsky.social and I provide some high-level takeaways from this week's DeepSeek news bonanza. Check it out here:

The coming years will be pivotal for AI and emerging tech policy. At @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social, we provide policymakers and the public with rigorous, evidence-based analysis to inform critical decisions. Follow my colleagues here: bsky.app/starter-pack...

The AI Competition with China Featuring Sam Bresnick and John Glaser

Latest w @sambresnick.bsky.social of @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social on the competition with China over AI, how AI will be used by states, obstacles & advantages for both the US & China, diplomatic pathways for the US & China to avoid dangerous AI scenarios, & more. Listen! www.cato.org/multimedia/p...

The Obstacles to China’s AI Power Why the Chinese military struggles to take advantage of new technology.

“In its zeal to catch up to the United States in the development of AI technologies, Beijing may be underestimating the challenges it will face in putting those technologies to use,” writes @sambresnick.bsky.social.

The Obstacles to China’s AI Power Why the Chinese military struggles to take advantage of new technology.

China is betting big on military AI, but organizational and political issues could keep it from realizing its ambitions.

Learn more in an important new @foreignaffairs.com piece by CSET's @sambresnick.bsky.social, out today. www.foreignaffairs.com/china/obstac...

The Obstacles to China’s AI Power Why the Chinese military struggles to take advantage of new technology.

The article examines how the PLA's rigid command structures, senior officers' lack of trust in their subordinates and emerging technologies, and China's increasing political centralization may combine to hinder the effective use of AI in military contexts. 2/2
www.foreignaffairs.com/china/obstac...

The Obstacles to China’s AI Power Why the Chinese military struggles to take advantage of new technology.

I'm excited to share my new piece in @foreignaffairs.com, where I argue that the Chinese military faces several political and organizational challenges that could hamper its ability to deploy AI on future battlefields. 1/2

www.foreignaffairs.com/china/obstac...

Chinese Perspectives on Military Uses of AI Podcast Episode · China Global · 12/17/2024 · 32m

How do Chinese defense experts think about the military use of AI?

CSET's @sambresnick.bsky.social joined @gmfus.bsky.social's @bglaser.bsky.social to discuss his recent report.

Listen now 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...