There hardly exists a buzzword today that fires everybody‘s imagination in the tech world like “artificial intelligence” (AI). But not only giants like Google, Facebook, Baidu or Alibaba are trying to overbid each other with new applications – also states around the globe have proclaimed to partake in a global AI race. Germany was rather late to the game. This article compares the strategies of France, the US and China and identifies their distinct approaches. What is common to them all: they count on AI as a driving force and problem solver no matter the field – environmental hazards, logistics, mobility, health or the brute force of arms.