Issue Brief
June 1, 2026 • 11:41 am ET
Mark Scott and Ryan Pan
The United States, its allies, and partner countries are at an inflection point on AI. There is a need to build cross-border coalitions, interoperable standards, and shared public institutions that can promote innovation, align governance structures, and elevate democratic values at a moment when decades-old norms and alliances are fraying and there is increased economic competitiveness between countries. Trends of increasing geopolitical competition, interdependence, and technological change are intensifying while traditional mechanisms—and trust—in a rules-based order are eroding as the United States has retrenched in many areas of global engagement and areas of leadership established in the post-World War II era.
The United States remains central to the commercialization and governance of AI worldwide. But a series of domestic and international policymaking shifts now challenges that position, which is based on the country’s world-leading research and development, industrial expertise, and technical capacity.
