The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is creating a stark divide between the U.S. and China, leaving many countries at risk of technological vassalage. With these two nations controlling 70% of the worlds top machine learning researchers and 90% of global computing power, the implications for middle powers like India, France, and the United Kingdom are profound. They face a precarious situation where their access to cutting-edge AI capabilities is dictated by the policies of Washington and Beijing, potentially locking them out of the benefits of this transformative technology.