The US and China Are Collaborating More Closely on AI Than You Think

The US and China Are Collaborating More Closely on AI Than You Think

Summary

WIRED analysed more than 5,000 papers from the NeurIPS conference using OpenAI’s Codex to map how researchers from the US and China work together. The piece emphasises that, while the two countries are fierce competitors in AI hardware, models and commercial applications, they still maintain substantial collaboration in cutting-edge academic research. The finding complicates simple narratives of competition and suggests research ties remain strong despite geopolitical tensions.

Key Points

• WIRED examined over 5,000 NeurIPS papers with the help of OpenAI’s Codex to identify collaboration patterns.
• The US and China remain intense rivals in areas like algorithms, large models and specialised chips.
• Despite rivalry, researchers from both countries continue to collaborate significantly on high-level AI research.
• These collaborations are concentrated in academic venues such as NeurIPS, a leading machine‑learning conference.
• The persistence of cross-border research links complicates regulation, policy responses and assumptions about an absolute decoupling of AI R&D.

Context and Relevance

This article matters because it reframes how we think about US–China relations in AI: competition at the commercial and strategic level coexists with active academic collaboration. For policymakers, industry leaders and researchers, that duality affects export controls, talent flows and how international research communities evolve. It also signals that scientific exchange remains a channel for knowledge transfer even amid geopolitical strain.

Why should I read this?

Want the short version — the rivals aren’t totally cutting ties. This piece quickly shows where and how US and Chinese researchers still team up on top-tier AI work, so you don’t have to dig through dozens of papers yourself.

Author style

Punchy: the story matters. It overturns a tidy headline about total technological decoupling and makes you rethink assumptions about where AI advances actually come from. Read the detail if you care about policy, research strategy or the global AI ecosystem.

Source

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/us-china-collaboration-neurips-papers/