The Foreign Affairs Interview The Limits of the American Way of AI
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Nov 27, 2025 
Ben Buchanan, a technology and national-security scholar who advised the White House on AI, shares insights on the shifting landscape of artificial intelligence amidst U.S.-China competition. He warns that America’s AI dominance is at risk without better coordination between the government and tech sectors. Buchanan discusses the importance of energy for large-scale AI, the implications of government policies on chip exports, and argues for a grand bargain to strengthen American AI while addressing national security concerns.
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DeepSeek Showed Talent But Hit A Chip Ceiling
- DeepSeek's public model demonstrated high technical talent but was constrained by chip access and used U.S. chips.
- Buchanan notes DeepSeek later tried Chinese-made chips and failed, showing compute—not talent—was the binding constraint.
Enforce Chip Controls And Fund Enforcement
- Deny advanced chips and equipment to adversaries and enforce export controls to slow their scaling.
- Invest in enforcement capacity (BIS) so controls are meaningful, not merely symbolic.
Allied Chipmaking Is A Strategic Asset
- Democracies form a chip-and-equipment coalition: Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Netherlands, Germany, and the U.S. are complementary suppliers.
- Coordinating this network is key to deny adversaries advanced chipmaking capabilities.
