If the two world’s most powerful nations pursue AI through absolutism—each convinced that their singular path of exceptionalism is the only right one—the consequences could be dire for all.

“The genie is out of the bottle.” Warren Buffett, comparing AI to nuclear weapons, warned us about humanity. AI is already set in motion and irreversible, similar to the dilemma we face with nuclear weapons. Even developers cannot predict the direction AI will take or how it will be used, let alone the damage it could cause to society.

When AI can write and compose, it surpasses us in various domains and alters our lives, regardless of how we feel about it. From an Eastern perspective: since the mountain will not move, the river must adapt—and it always finds a way.

Adaptability — rather than strength or intelligence — has long been recognized as the key trait for human biological survival. This quality will also be crucial for our coexistence with AI, especially for reaping its benefits. But what does it actually mean in real life?

Our AI journey is exploration — not confrontation — and the approach is to question, converse, even debate, but not to stereotype.

For outsiders, and even for their own people, a national culture resembles a duck gliding on water: its feet paddling beneath the surface are unseen, yet they are the essential driving force that propels it forward (or sometimes in circles).

“The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural." By Samuel P. Huntington in his book, The Clash of Civilizations. This is especially true in the realm of technology and AI.