AI and International Politics

Abstract

In light of contemporary technological advancements in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, coupled with significant investment in AI research and development by a range of state actors, scholars have begun considering the impact that this technology will have on international and domestic politics. While scholars express divergent views regarding the consequences of AI proliferation, this technology is likely to have a broad range of applications for international politics, from military and defense to trade and diplomacy. Recognizing the increasingly prominent role of AI in global politics, this chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and risks that the proliferation of AI technology holds for international politics by examining the factors motivating the global pursuit of this technology and evaluating its effects on authoritarianism and liberal democracy, the global balance of power, and warfare. This chapter argues that AI is best understood as an accelerating and enabling force that is less likely to produce drastic, unforeseen transformations in domestic and international politics as it is to accelerate and exacerbate trends that were already underway. As an increasingly critical tool of contemporary governance, AI is going to play a central role in future relations between international actors; it is therefore incumbent upon scholars, states, and the global community more broadly to begin preparing for international politics in the era of AI.