US and China AI rivalry and its impact on India’s strategic position

Abstract

The global strategic rivalry between the United States and China in artificial intelligence (AI) is remaking geopolitics, economic structures, and security systems globally. With the two leading powers in AI, their rivalry goes beyond a bilateral contest to impact international standards, military strategies, and technology governance. This competition has significant consequences for third parties, especially India, placed at the crossroads of democracy, technological explosion in the digital sphere, and influential regional blocs like the Quad. India is both presented with opportunities to raise its technical profile and threatened by vulnerabilities emanating from dependencies and international pressure games. India is getting advantages and also getting attention from US and learning from China but have to take sides from both of them and China mistrust India. Through realist theory and neorealist theory this research examines India's strategic positioning within the U.S.–China AI competition. It examines India's technological efforts, security alliances, and diplomatic balancing acts, in addition to evaluating challenges such as talent deficits, infrastructure deficits, and cybersecurity weaknesses. And also talks about how US and China are giving hard to become most advanced AI country. The paper posits that India's prosperity in taking advantage of this competition hinges on developing indigenous AI capability, promoting multilateralism, and sustaining strategic autonomy in a multipolar AI world.