Artificial Intelligence and the Changing Global Order: Emerging Technologies, Geopolitical Competition, and the Future of International Security

Abstract

The world is witnessing the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its political landscape, shaping the perception of states regarding technological strength, strategic rivalry, military force, and global security.The world is increasingly seeing AI (Artificial Intelligence) entering into the realm of politics, and affecting the states' understandings of technological power, strategic competition, military capability and international security. Its potential impact extends beyond individual applications as AI development is closely linked to data, computing infrastructure, semiconductors, capabilities in cyber, surveillance systems and new governance systems. However, much of the current scholarship focuses on one dimension or another rather than institutionalizing an understanding of how these dimensions play out in the formation of a changing global order. This is a qualitative investigation of how these new capabilities of AI are impacting geopolitical competition and shaping future international security. The research adopts a secondary and documentary approach, building on existing peer-reviewed academic literature, policy documents, institutional reports and authoritative international evaluations, with the guiding lens of interpretivist approach. The material is analyzed to detect the commonalities and the similarities in the literature, using a thematic analysis. The study addresses interrelated themes related to AI and global power, the US–China technological arms race, military AI and autonomous weapons, AI-enabled cyber and surveillance capabilities, semiconductors and supply-chain vulnerabilities, and global governance of AI. The study does not believe that AI is a foregone conclusion that will change the nature of international politics, but rather it reads the ways in which technological developments are perceived and integrated within power and security frameworks. The study concludes that AI is an emerging key structural determinant in the overall competition and generates new technological dependency and uncertainty in governance. Its value is in the integration of the technological, geopolitical, military, infrastructural and normative aspects in one qualitative interpretation. Inclusive governance, strategic dialogue, human oversight and increased awareness of the needs of technologically dependent states are among the key points the study underlines as being crucial to the maintenance of international security.