The Race Worth Winning: Middle Powers in the Age of Machine Intelligence

Leicht, Anton; Ball, Dean

Research

The Race Worth Winning: Middle Powers in the Age of Machine Intelligence

The race where the middle powers can compete and even lead is the race to favorably adapt frontier artificial intelligence into their governments and economies.

By Anton Leicht and Dean W. Ball

Published on Feb 13, 2026

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About the Authors

Anton Leicht

Fellow, Technology and International Affairs Program

Anton Leicht is a fellow with the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he researches the political economy of artificial intelligence.

Dean W. Ball

Dean W. Ball is a senior policy adviser for AI and emerging technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He was previously a research fellow at the Mercatus Center and a nonresident senior fellow at both the Foundation for American Innovation and Fathom.

AI Technology

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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