The Bitter Struggle

“An eye-opening look at the urgent challenges the U.S. government faces in balancing the risks of catastrophe amid the race to advance AI. Buchanan and Collins, two experts fresh from the front lines, offer unique perspective on the implications of AI for national power.”—Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard Kennedy School and bestselling author of Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?

“The Bitter Struggle is essential reading for anyone trying to grapple with how democracies can make artificial intelligence work for us, rather than against us. In this scintillating account of AI’s benefits and risks, Ben Buchanan and Tantum Collins offer penetrating insights into how the choices we make today will either buoy America’s democracy, competitiveness, and security—or rapidly erode them. Having served as driving intellectual forces behind the Biden Administration’s most enduring work on technology and national security, Buchanan and Collins have written a vital touchstone for anyone thinking about how AI will shape the future.”—Jake Sullivan, former U.S. national security advisor

“The Bitter Struggle is a compelling and important book. Buchanan and Collins, brilliant experts who have worked in government and industry, describe how AI can secure a stable global future if harnessed carefully, yet they are unflinching in examining its risks. They are trustworthy guides through one of the most pressing national security and domestic policy issues of our era—and they offer a powerful articulation of what is at stake.”—Ambassador Susan E. Rice, former U.S. national security advisor and U.S. domestic policy advisor

“A comprehensive, clear-eyed account of the race to artificial superintelligence and its immense stakes, by the leading experts in the White House who were in the room when policy decisions were being made.”—Tristan Harris, cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology

“The race between companies and countries to develop superintelligence consistently outpaces our capacity to understand its implications. In The Bitter Struggle, Ben Buchanan and Tantum Collins draw on their own deep expertise and singular experience inside the White House to bring the most important and urgent questions about this transformative technology into the light. Part history, part primer for the future, and above all an argument for the survival of democracy itself, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces—and choices—that will remake our world for better or worse in the years to come.”—Ben Rhodes, former U.S. deputy national security advisor and New York Times bestselling author of All We Say

“As artificial intelligence recasts the balance of power, Buchanan and Collins provide an illuminating firsthand account of the U.S. government’s preparation for this once-in-a-century tech revolution. The Bitter Struggle is essential reading for understanding how AI will impact geopolitics and how the great powers are shaping AI.”—Chris Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Chip War

“[An] urgent call for AI rooted in democratic values—and in democratic hands.”—Kirkus Reviews

Ben Buchanan was the first White House Special Advisor for AI, leading the development and execution of the Biden administration’s AI policy. He is the author of four books and is currently a professor at Johns Hopkins University and an advisor to Anthropic.

Tantum Collins was Director of Technology and National Security during the Biden administration. Before joining government, he spent five years at Google DeepMind and coauthored the New York Times bestseller Team of Teams. He is currently the CEO of Inherent, an AI startup.

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