Artificial intelligence is no longer a niche tool for tech labs or science-fiction thrillers. Its now the battleground where the future of American power, prosperity, and freedom will be decided. With the release of "Winning the AI Race: Americas AI Action Plan," the Trump administration is rightfully treating this moment as the 21st-century equivalent of the space race or the nuclear age.This bold strategy outlines over 90 policy actions that span three key pillars: Accelerating Innovation, Building American AI Infrastructure, and Leading in International Diplomacy and Security. Each of these pillars sends a clear message to the world: America intends to leadnot follow on artificial intelligence.And we must. This is a race we cant afford to lose.DETAILS OF TRUMP'S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED AI PLAN REVEALED BY WHITE HOUSE AHEAD OF MAJOR SPEECHThe Trump administrations plan does what Washington too often fails to do: it combines vision with action. From fast-tracking permits for critical data centers and chip fabrication plants, to expanding the skilled trades workforce needed to maintain those facilities, the plan hits both high-tech and firsthand realities.Crucially, the plan calls for exporting secure, full-stack American AI packageshardware, software, models, applications and standardsto trusted allies. Thats smart policy. In a world where China exports authoritarian surveillance technology, America must counter with liberty-based alternatives.And most refreshingly, the plan defends free speech. It mandates that federal procurement contracts only go to developers of large language models that are free from ideological censorship. Thats a huge win for constitutional values in a time when Big Tech algorithms increasingly silence dissent.LEE ZELDIN: TRUMP'S EPA CLEARING THE REGULATORY PATH FOR AMERICA TO DOMINATE THE GLOBAL AI REVOLUTIONThe optimism in this action plan is well-foundedbut incomplete. As foreign policy analysts Matan Chorev and Joel Predd recently warned in their Foreign Policy article, the U.S. must also assume the worst about artificial intelligenceespecially artificial general intelligence (AGI). Thats the version of AI that can perform at or above human levels across a wide range of tasks. Unlike nuclear weapons, AGI wont announce itself with a mushroom cloud. It may slip quietly into our systems, our economy and even our military decision-makingwithout a clear warning shot. The nightmare scenario? A rogue AI, either built by an enemy nation or evolving beyond human control, triggering economic collapse or catastrophic warfare. Thats why the U.S. must not only pursue victory in AI, but vigilance. Planning for worst-case scenarios isn't fearmongering its common sense. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us what happens when leaders fail to prepare for known risks. With AI, we may not get a second chance. What happens if a U.S. company suddenly claims to have developed AGI and asks for national security protections access to classified data, regulatory exemptions and federal backing? What if China gets there first? AMERICA HAS THE POWER TO LEAD THE AI REVOLUTION AND THE LEADERSHIP TO MAKE IT HAPPENThe Biden-era playbook of strategic ambiguity and global appeasement wont cut it. America needs break-glass protocols: clear, tested plans to respond to AI emergencieswhether cyberattacks, misinformation campaigns or autonomous systems going rogue.This requires massive coordination across the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, our intelligence community and private industry. The federal government must build the analytical muscle to separate hype from real breakthroughsand act fast when a threat emerges.Advanced AI attacks may not come with a digital return address. Whether an attack comes from Beijing, a terrorist network or a self-replicating algorithm, our cyber defenses must be able to detect, contain and recover without waiting for attribution.That means hardening critical infrastructure, isolating vulnerable data centers and ensuring military continuity of operations in a high-tech crisis. These arent science-fiction concernstheyre strategic imperatives.HOUSE BIPARTISAN BILL DIRECTS NSA TO CREATE 'AI SECURITY PLAYBOOK' AMID CHINESE TECH RACEThe Trump administration's emphasis on exporting U.S. technology to allies is criticalbut we must also export American values. Freedom. Accountability. Innovation with restraint. Our allies want alternatives to Chinas surveillance-driven tech regime. America can lead that coalitionbut only if we speak as clearly about ethics as we do about engineering. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONDavid Sacks, the White Houses AI and crypto czar, put it plainly: "To win the AI race, the U.S. must lead in innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships. At the same time, we must center American workers and avoid Orwellian uses of AI."Hes right. Victory in AI is not just about lines of code its about preserving what it means to be human in an age of machines.Winning the AI Race is a historic first step. It champions free markets, American jobs, national strength and liberty-based governance in the AI era. But we must not mistake ambition for immunity.America needs a dual-track strategy: drive innovation with urgency and prepare for disaster with equal urgency. Our adversaries wont wait. Neither will the technology. We canand mustlead the world into the AI future. But lets do it with eyes wide open, grounded in our values and ready for anything.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT MAGINNIS