We are excited to announce the second debate in The Hopkins Forum, a partnership between Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins University’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute. Join us in Baltimore for a live debate that will explore the high-stakes U.S.-China AI arms race, examining whether U.S. chip controls can secure an American advantage in artificial intelligence.
The AI revolution is underway, and the U.S. and China are racing to the top. At the heart of this competition are semiconductors—especially advanced GPUs that power everything from natural language processing to autonomous weapons. The U.S. is betting that export controls can helpcheck China’s technological ambitions. But will this containment strategy work—or could it inadvertentlyaccelerate China’s drive for self-sufficiency? Those who think chip controls will work argue that restricting China’s access gives the U.S. critical breathing room to advance AI safely, set global norms, and maintain dominance.Those who believe chip controls are inadequate, or could backfire, warn that domestic chipmakers,like Nvidia and Intel, also rely on sales from China. Cutting off access couldharm U.S. competitiveness in the long run, especially if other countries don't fully align with U.S. policy.As the race for AI supremacy intensifies, we debate the question: Can the U.S. Outpace China in AI Through Chip Controls?
Debater Panel (In Formation):
Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to President Biden (2021-2025)
Lindsay Gorman, Managing Director and Senior Fellow of the German Marshall Fund’s Technology Program; Venture Scientist at Deep Science Ventures
Additional debaters TBA
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM | Doors open at 5:30 PM
Reserve your seat to witness a critical conversation on global AI competition.
It won’t help anyone recoup the money lost in the housing bubble or the market crash or the recession, but there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing where to put the blame.