This article examines recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) governance in the United States (US) and China, exploring their implications for each country’s development trajectory. Utilizing a philosophy-of-technology-informed framework, the article delves into not only the differences between the two countries’ approaches but also the reasons behind these differences. The US, after years of industry self-regulation, is slowly moving towards concrete legislation, while China is centralizing its development and regulatory initiatives. Despite China’s expressed desire for values-pluralistic international governance, existing tensions between the two, coupled with the US’s burgeoning coalition centered around AI with “democratic values,” might pose challenges to collaboration and international governance. Nonetheless, I content that both systems can be accommodated within a human rights framework, potentially paving the way for meaningful international governance efforts.

Emmie Hine is a PhD candidate in Law, Science, and Technology at the University of Bologna, where she researches the ethics and governance of emerging technologies in different geopolitical contexts. Her dissertation focuses on the human rights impacts of XR technologies. She obtained a master’s degree in Social Science of the Internet as a Shirley Scholar at the University of Oxford, where her thesis compared American and Chinese AI governance policies. Her interest in AI governance also expands to the EU; her team, the LegalAIzers, were winners of the EU AI Act Grand Challenge at the University of St. Gallen. She has published articles about European, American, and Chinese AI governance and technology policy, and also writes the Ethical Reckoner newsletter. Prior to beginning her PhD, she worked as a full-stack software engineer at a data management software company in Boston. She is proficient in English and Mandarin, but her favorite language is TypeScript