La corsa all'IA tra Stati Uniti e Cina: divergenze tecnologiche e regolamentazione a confronto

This paper examines the divergent approaches of the United States and China to artificial intelligence (AI) development and governance, addressing two research questions: whether the two countries exhibit methodologically differentiated approaches to AI research and development, and what trajectories can be expected from their most recent regulatory frameworks. On the technological side, an inductive analysis suggests that the United States tends to favour a data-driven paradigm centred on large-scale computational infrastructure and private-sector innovation, while China appears to pursue more systematically the development of novel foundational models, emphasising algorithmic efficiency and theoretical depth. This claim is advanced as a theoretically grounded but empirically exploratory hypothesis, requiring further validation through bibliometric, patent-based, and infrastructural comparative analyses. On the regulatory side, the paper analyses the main legislative acts adopted in 2025 by both countries and discusses their expected economic, occupational, and societal impacts. Since both frameworks are of very recent adoption, the projections offered are necessarily hypothetical. The paper concludes by identifying two directions for future research: the inclusion of the European Union as a third regulatory model, and a deeper exploration of the cultural and epistemic traditions underpinning each country's approach.