Expanding on the wider debate on the “privacy paradox” in relation to security and development, this thesis examines how China and the EU perceive the interplay between the development and regulation of Artificial Intelligence and the related equilibrium between individual and national security. Here, securitization theory with a Policy-as-Discourse Approach is employed, relying on the analysis of the respective actors’ relevant policy documents, regulations, and laws on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Attention is also given to policy discourse on AI development and regulation, with special emphasis on how individual and state security are narrated in the policy discourse of China and the EU, and the ways in which AI as a possible unit of analysis may impact this. The present work demonstrates that there is indeed some degree of securitization of AI, with China framing this in terms of national security, and the EU with a broader frame. Additionally, it is also found that there are significant shifts in discourse, where China is increasingly acknowledging individual security, and in some regards going beyond the EU. The findings also revealed the underlying intentions of the policy discourse, through various exemptions and rhetorical devices, with the EU continuing a business-as-usual approach, whereas China is showing signs of re-evaluating its stance on this security equilibrium.