ChatGPT as a security threat: US–China security dilemma in the generative AI race

The rise of AI has introduced new complexities into the traditional US–China security dilemma, with both sides viewing each other’s technological advances as potential threats. This article examines how ChatGPT has further complicated these dynamics. Its success triggered not only Chinese anxiety over losing ground in technological and strategic competition but also concerns about threats to ideological and regime security. In response, China implemented a series of measures aimed at regulating generative AI to preserve domestic stability while simultaneously advancing its own technological capabilities. These reactions, coupled with the technical success of China’s DeepSeek, reshaped the competitive landscape – this time triggering anxiety and strategic insecurity in the United States and propelling the US–China generative AI race into a new, more intense phase. This article focuses on China’s initial security concerns about ChatGPT, shedding light on the origins of the AI race and how AI has become deeply entangled in broader security dynamics.