I would say that winning the electricity race probably benefitted America, winning the automobile race benefitted Germany in a more major way, and winning the (personal) computer race absolutely benefitted America.
Early adoption of electricity, one of "wow" technologies of the era, contributed to America looking like the country of progress and reason, attractive as a symbol to many Europeans. Winning the automobile race means that German cars - and thus German goods, in general - are still associated with quality and efficiency all over Europe and, probably, the world, in a way that, say, American cars aren't. It's a great part of the German postwar economic miracle and Germany's continuing top role in Europe.
America still continues to be *the* tech hub of the world thanks to its head start in the world of (personal) computers, thanks to the companies of Jobs and Gates and those. That's why most Silicon Places are in America, that's why European engineers flock to America. (Of course the "real" reason is higher wages in America, but a part of the reason why those wages are so high is the continual cutting-edge status of American companies.)
Furthermore, computers are a communication technology in a way that electricity (by itself) and automobiles aren't. The spread of computers initially in American tech circles is what allowed the "Californian Ideology" to form, and its takeoff all over the world then spread that ideology all over the world. Computers are a fundamental part of why "we're all living in Amerika", most crucially here in Europe. There were people in Finland putting BLM squares in their Instagram profiles when George Floyd died thanks to American communication technologies, and other people in Finland later making "woke left getting OWNED!" videos on YouTube about those people thanks to the same technologies.
It should be obvious that AI is a communication technology in the same way, perhaps even moreso, than personal computers. Who wins the race (if the race can even be won) will imprint themselves on global consciousness even moreso than with those other goods.
I would say that winning the electricity race probably benefitted America, winning the automobile race benefitted Germany in a more major way, and winning the (personal) computer race absolutely benefitted America.
Early adoption of electricity, one of "wow" technologies of the era, contributed to America looking like the country of progress and reason, attractive as a symbol to many Europeans. Winning the automobile race means that German cars - and thus German goods, in general - are still associated with quality and efficiency all over Europe and, probably, the world, in a way that, say, American cars aren't. It's a great part of the German postwar economic miracle and Germany's continuing top role in Europe.
America still continues to be *the* tech hub of the world thanks to its head start in the world of (personal) computers, thanks to the companies of Jobs and Gates and those. That's why most Silicon Places are in America, that's why European engineers flock to America. (Of course the "real" reason is higher wages in America, but a part of the reason why those wages are so high is the continual cutting-edge status of American companies.)
Furthermore, computers are a communication technology in a way that electricity (by itself) and automobiles aren't. The spread of computers initially in American tech circles is what allowed the "Californian Ideology" to form, and its takeoff all over the world then spread that ideology all over the world. Computers are a fundamental part of why "we're all living in Amerika", most crucially here in Europe. There were people in Finland putting BLM squares in their Instagram profiles when George Floyd died thanks to American communication technologies, and other people in Finland later making "woke left getting OWNED!" videos on YouTube about those people thanks to the same technologies.
It should be obvious that AI is a communication technology in the same way, perhaps even moreso, than personal computers. Who wins the race (if the race can even be won) will imprint themselves on global consciousness even moreso than with those other goods.