Leading commentators argue the international AI debate is miscast as a zero‑sum race and warn that export‑control and rivalry narratives could harm academic collaboration and research ecosystems. The piece examines recent U.S. export actions on advanced chips and cites tech leaders and scholars who call for more nuanced policy design. The authors cite Anthropic cofounder Dario Amodei and other industry voices who have fostered a race narrative; they contrast that with a view that AI use is excludable and non‑rivalrous in important ways. The article frames export controls and fees on processors as blunt instruments that affect university research access and cross‑border collaborations. For academic leaders: "export controls" here refer to government restrictions on shipping hardware, software or technical data across borders. Provosts and research offices must update compliance plans and consider procurement alternatives to ensure federally funded projects remain viable under changing export rules.