The most important battle for democracy isn’t the one making headlines—it’s the AI arms race between America and China. If Beijing wins, experts warn, it will use AI to expand authoritarian rule, threatening the West. Many Americans believe the U.S. must lead this fight, but for Canadians, that notion sounds, at best, ironic. Who here believes Donald Trump really wants to save democracy? If America must take charge, Silicon Valley—not Washington—may be our best hope. Here’s why.
What the AI Arms Race is Really About
The AI arms race is accelerating. Just a year ago, the US seemed to have a comfortable lead, but China's recent breakthroughs— first DeepSeek, now Manus—have closed the gap, making the race wide open.
New York Times podcaster Ezra Klein recently explored this theme in an interview with Ben Buchanan, former President Joe Biden’s top AI adviser.
Buchanan believes artificial superintelligence is imminent—and that world leaders know it. Superintelligence refers to AI systems that surpass human intelligence (often spectacularly) in nearly all fields, from science to strategy.
Like the Manhattan Project, Buchanan predicts that superintelligence will dramatically reshape economic, military, and cyber power, handing a decisive geopolitical advantage to whoever gets there first—China or the US.
This view—that the AI arms race threatens democracy—is now widely accepted in Silicon Valley. Influential figures like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei are among its most vocal proponents.
Interestingly, these Americans seem to assume that US leadership in protecting democracy enjoys broad support among its allies. Perhaps they should talk to a Canadian or a Greenlander.
To be clear, under Biden, US allies largely supported American efforts to regulate AI and curb China’s influence. But Trump’s aggressive trade wars and disregard for democratic norms have changed the equation. Here in Canada, there is growing belief that the Canada-US relationship is unraveling.
Perhaps it is, but there’s a lot to lose—for Canadians, Americans, and, perhaps surprisingly, for Big Tech, whose CEOs may not yet fully appreciate the consequences. Let’s dig deeper.
Trump’s AI Vision
Before Trump’s victory, his support in Silicon Valley was thin. The AI community leaned Democratic. Moguls like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk backed Trump because they believed Biden’s approach would slow AI development, allowing China to take the lead.
In return for their support, they demanded that Trump repeal Biden’s Executive Order on AI and adopt a hands-off approach, particularly regarding safety regulations.
Trump has complied. While the AI arms race with China remains central, any discussion of democracy and human rights has disappeared. Under Trump, America’s AI mission is simply to “dominate” global AI markets.
This shift puts those concerned about democracy in direct opposition to the administration. Worse, Trump’s expansionist rhetoric makes a mockery of the claim that America is protecting democracy.
Basically, Trump’s anti-democratic behavior presents Silicon Valley with a stark choice: accept Trump’s agenda or make the case that America must defend democracy.
Some may find it strange to look to Silicon Valley for leadership on democracy, but if its CEOs fail to act, they risk losing the very market stability they rely on.
The Stakes
In a democracy, citizens and authorities define basic rules and agree to respect them. Without this “social contract,” democracy fails.
Markets operate on the same principle. If parties can’t trust each other to honor agreements, they can’t do business.
Defending Western democracies thus also protects global markets. Both rely on a commitment to a rules-based order. Capitalism and liberal democracy are joined at the hip.
Unfortunately, this order is under assault. Trump’s authoritarian style and expansionist views are eroding the trust that stable markets need.
If this continues, America’s allies will become increasingly reluctant—or even unwilling—to engage with the US. They may feel compelled to form their own markets and exclude America.
For Silicon Valley, the consequences could be devastating. AI leadership without stable democratic markets would be a hollow victory.
A Fork in the Road
Many CEOs have a hopeful vision for the Age of AI. They believe it could usher in an era of abundance and prosperity for humanity (see e.g., Altman, Amodei, Smith). Perhaps. But things could also go terribly wrong—and that threat now appears as likely to come from America as from China.
America’s path to the AI Age has reached a fork in the road. One path leads to a rules-based order founded on trust; the other relies on power and loyalty. Which path will it choose?
Americans and their allies urgently need this discussion.
What Can Be Done?
Canada could help. Following the upcoming election, Canada’s new prime minister should convene an international summit with democratic allies—such as the UK, Europe, India, and Japan—to discuss political leadership in transitioning to the AI Age.
The summit would focus on why a rules-based order is essential to democracy and global markets. Ideally, it would also define the type of leadership Western allies need to transition to the AI Age together.
The Trump administration may refuse to engage, but Silicon Valley can’t afford to sit this out. And if its leaders step up, they might force Trump’s hand.
After all, Silicon Valley is home to some of the wealthiest, most powerful firms on earth. And these are the people most likely to influence Donald Trump.
The AI Age is coming—will AI leaders choose to shape it, or be shaped by it?
Don Lenihan PhD is an expert in public engagement with a long-standing focus on how digital technologies are transforming societies, governments, and governance. This column appears weekly. To see earlier instalments in the series, click here.