AI innovation is an essential strategic vector for competing
nations. Without it, AI would still languish in the
"winter" of the 1970s and 1980s.
However, history has shown that innovation is less than half the
story, with adoption its often-neglected counterpart. This
imbalance is true despite adoption having vast potential as a
source of economic growth in its own right – even when the
innovation may have originated elsewhere.
This lopsided focus is already evident in national AI strategies
and needs urgent correction if the full potential of recent AI
innovations is to be realised.
Innovation is a global two-horse race
Framed as an existential race to prosperity or doom, formidable
AI innovation ecosystems have formed, comprising big tech,
startups, investors, elite universities, media, consultancies, and
government. These rarified networks have created their own AI
celebrities who are now household names, some transcending even
national boundaries to
