While the U.S. government is beginning to recognize the urgency, policy gaps remain. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently stressed that “America is in the middle of an innovation race with China and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” calling for unified national standards for autonomous vehicles to replace the current patchwork of state-level regulations.Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) could play a major role in helping the U.S. catch up to China in the race to develop autonomous machines, a contest Morgan Stanley frames as one of geopolitical and national security importance.With AI, a single operator could control 100 drones, forming a swarm of autonomous systems with potential defense and industrial implications.Tesla’s vehicles serve not just as products, but as platforms to develop and refine AI systems for broader applications. Does Tesla has the capabilities to help US catch up ?

