Trump’s AI Play in Gulf Sparks China Security Jitters

AI Ambitions or Geopolitical Gamble?

Donald Trump’s allies are spearheading ambitious AI ventures in the Persian Gulf, signaling a new frontier of technological investment that’s caught the attention of U.S. national security officials. At the center is the $500 billion NEOM megacity project in Saudi Arabia—an initiative in which Trump-affiliated groups are seeking to play a key role by supplying artificial intelligence expertise and infrastructure. But as these partnerships blossom in a region where geopolitical allegiances are delicate, experts are raising red flags about potential oversights, particularly with regard to intellectual property controls and China’s growing technological footprint in the Gulf.

China Looms Large in Washington’s Concerns

Washington policymakers are increasingly nervous that Trump-linked AI projects in the Gulf could become backdoors for Chinese tech influence. With Beijing aggressively investing in AI capabilities and already entrenched in Gulf infrastructure, U.S. national security officials fear any sharing of American-developed AI tools could inadvertently benefit China. These concerns are compounded by the fact that projects like NEOM often rely on international supply chains and cloud platforms where sensitive data may be more difficult to monitor. As election season heats up, Trump’s global business entanglements, especially in strategically sensitive sectors like AI, are becoming a renewed point of scrutiny.