Trump Redefines Alliances: "Must Help U.S. Win AI Race"

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is redefining the concept of American alliances in the era of artificial intelligence, according to an analysis by the U.S. online media outlet Axios.

In a report on July 2 (local time), Axios stated that while past U.S. alliances with partners such as those in Europe were built on shared values and security interests, the White House is now looking at "how partners can help the U.S. win the AI race."

The explanation is that as AI becomes central to economic and military power, advanced AI models, semiconductors, and infrastructure are transforming into new tools of American influence.

The Trump administration is restricting access to advanced AI models for its allies while simultaneously criticizing Europe for failing to sufficiently develop its own AI industry.

The U.S. government had designated Anthropic's AI models, Fable and Mythos, as export-controlled items but recently lifted some of those restrictions.

As a result, Anthropic is now able to provide Mythos to certain partners, including overseas companies, through "Project Glasswing," a collaboration with the U.S. government.

Anthropic has previously stated that this project would grant access to more than 150 institutions across over 15 countries.

However, the U.S. Department of Commerce retains the authority to restrict access again at any time if it deems it necessary.

In a recent interview on "Axios on HBO," President Trump said, "The problem we have is that we are way ahead of everybody," adding, "Europe has to be very careful. They are losing their way in terms of entrepreneurship."

He also criticized the United Kingdom for not fully utilizing its North Sea energy resources due to environmental concerns, calling it "crazy."

These moves align with the Trump administration's approach of viewing alliances through a transactional lens.

Three weeks after taking office, Vice President JD Vance publicly criticized the European Union's safety-focused regulatory stance during a speech at the Paris AI Summit in February of last year, foreshadowing tensions between the U.S. and the EU.

While the second Trump administration's core policy is deregulation, it is also creating new uncertainties for both domestic and foreign companies by operating a temporary AI licensing system.

OpenAI's GPT-5.6 also had to be released in stages last month due to government concerns.

The EU maintains that it will continue consultations with the U.S. on technical issues such as access to advanced AI models, semiconductor supply chains, and cybersecurity.

Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Commission on technology sovereignty, defense, and space, said on July 1 that while the EU looks forward to "strengthening" discussions with Anthropic for access to Mythos through Project Glasswing, "we have one clear red line, and that is that our sovereign legislation is not up for negotiation."

Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Advanced Science and Technology of the United Arab Emirates, explained to Axios that "it is very important that trusted partners and strategic partners are included in the process," so that "(technical control standards) can be synchronized, and similar standards can be applied rather than having something unilaterally imposed."

Axios pointed out that the EU and several European governments participated last week in "Pax Silica," a U.S.-led initiative to secure AI supply chains and critical minerals. The outlet noted that from the U.S. perspective, Europe occupies a complex position: a constraint in terms of AI regulation, an essential partner in supply chains, and a competitor in the field of advanced technology.

AJ Badelia, Head of Global Government and Public Affairs at the Canadian AI firm Cohere, explained that the stance of many national governments is, "We will participate in Pax Silica. We will cooperate with the U.S. ecosystem when possible. Where we cannot, we will build around it."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.