Strategic Report  ·  2026-09-20

A U.S. Strategy to Secure Geopolitical Advantage on an Uncertain Path to Superintelligence: Maintaining Freedom of Action

Strategic ReportHigh impactUnited States
RAND's Center for the Geopolitics of Artificial General Intelligence lays out seven archetypal U.S. strategic postures toward superintelligence — from pursuing AI supremacy by monopolizing the frontier, to co-developing with rivals, deterrence, or a pause/freeze — and argues that current evidence cannot resolve five pivotal uncertainties determining which is most feasible. Rather than committing prematurely or deferring indefinitely, the authors recommend a 'Freedom of Action' strategy: building and preserving optionality to secure geopolitical advantage and 'ensure humanity's survival with agency' through the transition to superintelligence.
Frames the highest-level strategic choice facing U.S. AI policy for national security and executive audiences engaging with government on AI strategy, export controls, or competitive positioning.
Map current organizational AI strategy and government-engagement posture against the report's seven archetypal strategies to identify strategic blind spots.
RAND Corporation — A U.S. Strategy to Secure Geopolitical Advantage on an Uncertain Path to Superintelligence
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