It guarantees more access to training data which is crucial for development of any superiority when it comes to applied AI. The US still have a better academic culture but the chinese are catching up. Nothing is inevitable.
Is the same true of China, or will China have to rely on its homegrown cadre of scientists? Granted, there might be a lot of talent in a population of 1,4 billion.
Science is about truth. Dictatorships are about appealing to the dear leader. That's why China will never catch up to free and open countries.