Gen X: Ai race is the Space race?

for the older folks on Reddit—was the whole Soviet vs. US space race back in the day anything like what’s happening now with AI between the US and China? Like, was it all over the news, with politicians nonstop hyping it up as a massive national security thing, just like AI is today? Was it the main thing in elections, with everyone acting like it was the end of the world if their side didn’t win?