The technological war between the United States and China for leadership in the introduction of «artificial intelligence» (AI) into the economy as a form of non-classical war is an extremely relevant research topic that contains scientific novelty in the positioning of AI as a meaningful digital technology. The study of this topic requires, along with traditional methods of socioeconomic analysis (general scientific methods, systemic, structural-functional, institutional, comparative and cybernetic approaches) and new ones (case study method, content analysis, methodology of classical military-economic research, interdisciplinary holistic global analysis). The purpose of the study is the technological war between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China for leadership in the introduction of «artificial intelligence» into the economy in the context of a non-classical war, for a leading position in the system of global governance of cyberspace. Three main tasks have been set: to evaluate the technological struggle between the United States and China for leadership in the introduction of «artificial intelligence» into the economy; clarify the institutional and economic aspects of the technological war between the USA and China; determine the current state of technological confrontation. The main result of the study is that an important feature of the post-industrial world in the conditions of global digitalization and technological globalization has been identified, which is that there can be neither a multipolar nor even a bipolar world. This is due to the essence of «artificial intelligence», which is the meaning-forming ICT, the digital technology that represents the main way to achieve competitiveness and security of the country’s economy. Within this context, there can only be one cybernetic superpower that will create the most competitive economy of its country based on digital technologies and, above all, «artificial intelligence».