Attorney General Todd Blanche declared on 16 September 2026 that the United States cannot afford to lose the artificial intelligence race to China, vowing law-enforcement action against Chinese individuals and companies alleged to have stolen technology from American businesses. Speaking during a media availability at the White House in Washington, Blanche framed the AI competition as a matter of national urgency while firmly rejecting any regulatory role for the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Blanche on the AI Race

“We can’t lose the AI race to China, right?” Blanche said. “President Trump says that, everybody says that, but they say it because it’s true.” His remarks followed questions about warnings from technology leaders that rapidly advancing AI systems could pose serious national-security and societal risks. Blanche acknowledged those concerns but indicated prosecution — not regulation — would be the DOJ’s response to any AI-related criminal conduct.

DOJ as Prosecutor, Not Regulator

Blanche drew a sharp line between law enforcement and technology oversight. “There’s plenty of cases involving AI that we’ve charged individuals,” he said, while adding: “I do not think it’s the job of the Department of Justice to regulate.” He reiterated: “We’re prosecutors, not regulators, so we’re not going to try to regulate AI.” This stance puts the DOJ at odds with voices inside and outside government who have called for tighter oversight of frontier AI systems.

China Policy: Country vs. Bad Actors

Asked whether the US government should take direct action against China for alleged theft from American AI companies, Blanche drew a distinction between state-level policy and individual misconduct. “When you say China, you’re talking about an entire country,” he said. He noted that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping maintained what he described as a strong working relationship. “Those two presidents have a great relationship and they get along, they make deals together,” Blanche said, while adding that “bad actors in China” who engaged in theft would be pursued aggressively by the DOJ and other executive-branch agencies. He noted such misconduct predated the current administration and would remain a law-enforcement priority.

Political Controversy Over AI Safety Debate

Blanche also weighed in on the domestic political dimension of AI safety discussions, backing President Trump’s contention that Democratic senators had raised concerns about AI risks primarily to influence the approaching midterm elections. “AI is extraordinarily beneficial to our society,” he said. “There’s a lot of great work that AI does.” He questioned the timing of Democratic calls for oversight: “So to talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms, I shouldn’t have to say that out loud. Of course, that’s what it is.” Critics argue the administration is downplaying legitimate safety concerns to avoid regulatory friction for the US tech industry.

OpenAI, Google, Anthropic Antitrust Question

Blanche declined to say whether companies such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic would require antitrust waivers to collaborate on security measures for their AI models. He said any such determination would involve multiple factors and an established DOJ process. He encouraged technology companies to address problems within their own systems and to engage with the government when necessary. The United States and China are locked in a broader contest for leadership across advanced semiconductors, computing infrastructure, and frontier AI models — a rivalry with significant implications for global supply chains, investment flows, and the standards governing AI systems adopted in major markets worldwide.