On May 29, 2026, Indiana Senator visited Huntington University to have a sit and chat with the Huntington County Chamber of Converse. While there, he spoke on various topics such as AI, technology innovation, and industry. Of the topics that were discussed, Mr. Young upheld the concept of the US being preeminent in most categories of topics. This article will look at a few, mainly in the technology and industrial areas. Each section will have his synopsis and then fact check.

AI & Innovation:

Senator Young said America stands at a defining moment in the age of artificial intelligence and believes Indiana is uniquely positioned to benefit because of its manufacturing strength, research universities, and entrepreneurial culture. While acknowledging public anxiety about AI, he argued the United States has advantages China cannot replicate because of America’s innovation-driven system.

Young said, “This could be the second American century … if we can optimize our system for this 21st century, there’s no way we’re going to lose.”

Fact check: While Mr. Young states that the US is better at AI and the technology that goes with it, this opposite of what the experts actually state. According to an article by the ITIF (Information Technology and Innovation Foundation) in 2025, they show the US vs China in areas of technology. And when one looks at the rates in various areas, their research shows China having a definitive lead in areas such as AI. The also quote a ranking by ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker. In this specific report, the research shows China leading in 57 categories while the US leads in only 7.

In the report, China shows a large percentage lead in nine categories.

• Quantum Technology – US (25%) China (28%)
• AI – US (18%) China (30%)
• Biotech – US (21%) China (31%)
• Advanced ICT – US (12%) China (33%)
• Sensing/Timing/Navigation _ US (15%) China (40%)
• Defense/Space/Robotics/Transport – US (15%) China (40.5%)
• Energy/Environment – US (10%) China (45%)
• Advanced Materials – US (11%) China (45%)
• Unique AUKUS Tech – US (8%) China (54%)

.Manufacturing & Supply Chains:

Young discussed efforts to reshore semiconductor production and rebuild strategic manufacturing capacity through the CHIPS and Science Act and related initiatives. He emphasized that some industries are too critical to rely on foreign supply chains, particularly when national security is involved.

“We can’t reshore everything. I don’t want to make tube socks here. It’s not a high value added product. We don’t need to make them. So what exactly do we want to reshore? I’ve been pretty clear about this. We want to reshore semiconductors because there’s a national security dimension to it,” Young said. “It’s a very high value-added product, and we should never again be dependent on China for something that important.”

Fact Check: Mr. Young want to start making various product here that he states is a matter of National Security. And at some points, it may be. Such as products used in military technology. While the mentioned CHIPS and Science Act provided the ability to out manufacture in this area (52 billion in incentives, tax credits, R&D funding, and workforce development), the infrastructure in place in the US cannot handle the proposed initiatives as it now sits. It will take five major areas of implementation to catch and over China. These are:

• Decades of industrial policy
• Major infrastructure expansion
• Faster permitting
• Large workforce training and placement programs
• Rebuilding of the supplier ecosystems (meaning every manufacturing participant will need to restructure the entire infrastructure relating to the individual product and process).

For the increase in production and areas of energy, the following percentages show the US industrial base highly lacking in various areas compared to China. In the following areas, China is at or above 60% while the US is at or below 20%.

• Hydrogen/Ammonia for power
• Nanoscale materials and Manufacturing
• High specification machining processes
• Supercapacitors
• Advanced aircraft engines
• Coatings
• Autonomous underwater vehicles
• Electric batteries
• Hypersonic detection and tracking

But all is not lost. The US does lead China in a few areas.

• Vaccines and medical countermeasures
• Quantum computing
• Small satellites
• Atomic clocks
• Nuclear medicine and radiotherapy
• Natural language processing
• Genetic engineering

While Mr. Young, and the US in general, believe that China is not a threat in specialized areas and the US is the top of the various fields, data shows the opposite. One of the major contributors for the advancement of China in these areas is the link between Education and the Military. In global educational rankings, China sits at 17 out of the top 20, while the US sits at 18. In science and math, China sits a 4  of the top 20, while the US is at 19.

So to answer Mr. Young’s claims. China has better infrastructure, better capabilities, and better education in the areas required. The data does not support Mr. Young’s claims.