We’ve had an American Renaissance in technology, Victor Davis Hanson says

September 3, 2026 - 09:36

Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, argued this week that the United States is in the middle of a genuine technological rebirth, one that has little to do with government programs and everything to do with private enterprise. Speaking on a recent program, Hanson pointed to the current push in artificial intelligence as proof that American innovation is not only alive but leading the world again.

Hanson pushed back against the idea that the country has lost its edge in science and engineering. He said the last few years have shown a clear pattern of American firms pulling ahead in critical fields, especially in AI development and computing power. In his view, this is not a small uptick but a full-scale renaissance, driven by a culture that still rewards risk and independent thinking.

The conversation turned to the global race for AI dominance. Hanson warned that this is not a contest the United States can afford to take lightly. He stressed that the country has a real advantage right now, but that advantage could slip away if policymakers get in the way with heavy regulation or if the public loses confidence in the technology itself. He also noted that the current boom is built on decades of foundational research, much of it funded by the military and university labs, but the real breakthroughs are now happening in the private sector.

Hanson did not spend much time on doom scenarios. Instead, he made the case that the American system, messy as it is, still produces better results than centrally planned efforts elsewhere. He pointed to the speed of development, the willingness to fail, and the sheer number of startups as signs that the country has not lost its touch. The bottom line, he said, is that the United States is in a strong position, but it needs to stay focused and not assume the lead will last forever.