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AI becomes an instrument of national strategy

In the 2025 report, governments increasingly treated AI as industrial capacity and strategic influence. The US promoted exports of an integrated American AI stack, China pursued domestic capability, and Europe faced the practical demands of implementing its AI Act.

Questions in this section

What was America’s AI stack strategy?Had Europe abandoned the AI Act?What did sovereign AI mean in this period?What happened to international safety coordination?

Exporting an ecosystem

The US AI Action Plan tied model leadership to infrastructure, permitting, exports, and national security. The American AI Exports program packaged hardware, models, software, applications, and standards for selected partners. The strategic question was whether countries adopting that package would become dependent on American suppliers and rules, even as they acquired domestic data centers.

Exporting an ecosystem - 2025 report, slide 192
Exporting an ecosystem. 2025 report, slide 192 (PDF page 193)

Europe confronts implementation

The report described pressure to pause or simplify the AI Act while the Commission continued its rollout. Only three member states had fully completed the requirement to designate national authorities at the report’s snapshot, and technical standards were still under development. That was an implementation finding from 2025, not a claim that the law had been abandoned or a statement of current obligations.

Europe confronts implementation - 2025 report, slide 221
Europe confronts implementation. 2025 report, slide 221 (PDF page 222)

Self-reliance and international coordination diverge

China’s open-weight ecosystem and domestic semiconductor ambitions advanced alongside a reported 10% increase in science and technology spending. Meanwhile, international safety coordination weakened: the US did not attend two AI Safety Institute Network meetings in 2025. The report’s concern was that national competition was making shared governance harder precisely as more capable systems crossed borders.

Self-reliance and international coordination diverge - 2025 report, slide 226
Self-reliance and international coordination diverge. 2025 report, slide 226 (PDF page 227)

Evidence you can use

Three policy directions in the 2025 report

October 2025 historical snapshot

Three policy directions in the 2025 report
MeasureReported valueDefinition and source
United StatesIntegrated AI stack exportsCompute, models, tools, and standards2025 report, slide 192 (PDF page 193)
European UnionAI Act implementationAuthorities, standards, and pressure to simplify2025 report, slide 221 (PDF page 222)
ChinaDomestic AI self-relianceModels, silicon, and science spending2025 report, slide 226 (PDF page 227)

These are summaries of the report’s 2025 analysis, not legal guidance or a current list of policies. Proposed measures, implementation work, and strategic goals should not be read as equivalent completed outcomes.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and dates

Historical snapshot published October 9, 2025. This web edition was prepared on October 10, 2026 from the online deck and original launch posts. Findings and forecasts retain their original time frame.

  1. 2025 report, slide 148 (PDF page 149)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  2. 2025 report, slide 191 (PDF page 192)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  3. 2025 report, slide 192 (PDF page 193)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  4. 2025 report, slide 198 (PDF page 199)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  5. 2025 report, slide 202 (PDF page 203)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  6. 2025 report, slide 207 (PDF page 208)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  7. 2025 report, slide 211 (PDF page 212)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  8. 2025 report, slide 221 (PDF page 222)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  9. 2025 report, slide 226 (PDF page 227)Original 2025 report. Slide numbers printed in the deck are one lower than PDF page numbers because the cover is unnumbered.
  10. State of AI Report 2025: online slides
  11. Nathan Benaich: The State of AI Report 2025Air Street Press, October 9, 2025.
  12. Welcome to State of AI Report 2025Original website launch post, October 9, 2025.

Cite this page

Benaich, Nathan. “AI becomes an instrument of national strategy.” State of AI Report 2025. Historical report snapshot; web edition prepared 2026-10-10.