While technology plays a significant role in global politics and global security, it is interesting that the conceptualization of technology as a crucial factor in global politics and global security by the theories of international relations has lagged behind technological advancement (Fritsch, 2011, 27). In addition, policymaking and policy implementation of technology has yet to catch up with technological advancement. For example, despite the six decades of spacefaring, regulating space is still an issue. The same applies to cyberspace. And now, in 2023, we are witnessing a new technological revolution that experts have compared to the discovery of fire and electricity. What impact artificial intelligence will have on global issues during the next twenty-five years is impossible to comprehend in 2023. There will be both a positive and negative impact, but more interestingly would be to question which of the two will dominate our world.
At my research level, that of disinformation and misinformation, AI is predicted to have a pretty negative impact on global security and be a significant threat to democratic systems across the globe. AI has already been used to generate fake images and videos (the picture of the Pope wearing a puffy white jacket comes to mind). However, with the United States entering a presidential electoral campaign season, it is worrisome that bad actors will use AI to generate misinformation and disinformation. The use of AI to create fake news is one negative impact this new technology will have on global issues during the following years.
But there is also a positive aspect. AI has been used during the pandemic to identify and flag false information. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have started using these technologies early in the pandemic to identify and remove false information about Covid-19. Content-independent detection programs target content and detect false information (Mosila, 2023, 16). The development of artificial intelligence can be a helpful tool for fact-checkers and journalists in the fight against fake news.
Bibliography
Fritsch, Stefan. 2011. “Technology and Global Affairs.” International Studies Perspectives 12 (1): 27–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-3585.2010.00417.x.
Mosila, Andreea. 2023. “The Challenge of Populism and Disinformation on the Pandemic Response in Romania.” EuropeNow Journal, issue 54. In publication.