The global AI race is being scored the wrong way. Much of the debate still treats it as a contest over chips, capital and models, usually framed as a rivalry between the United States and China. Those inputs matter. But they no longer determine whether AI can actually take hold across society. What matters now is something governments cannot simply buy or import: the ability to manage AI's real-world risks before they trigger backlash and stall deployment. Those risks are already visible. They