Steven Hendrix
US diplomacy must urgently adapt to shape global AI norms or risk ceding digital governance to authoritarian powers.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global order—not just economically or militarily, but diplomatically. As algorithms govern more decisions, from trade routes to refugee vetting, the question of who sets the rules is no longer theoretical. It’s geopolitical. The US is now locked in a high-stakes competition with China to shape global AI norms, governance models, and infrastructure. But while American technologists surge ahead, American diplomacy is lagging behind.
AI Is Now a Geopolitical Issue, Not Just a Technological One
For decades, foreign policy has centered on weapons, treaties, and territorial disputes. But in this century, diplomacy must also contend with predictive policing software in Africa, Chinese surveillance systems in Latin America, and generative AI tools used by authoritarian regimes to spread disinformation.
The State Department’s Emerging Technology primers, co-developed with the Foreign Service Institute and the Cyberspace and Digital Policy Bureau, reflect a growing awareness of this challenge.
China Is Actively Exporting Its Model of Digital Governance
China has understood this for years. Through initiatives like the Global Initiative on Data Security and the Digital Silk Road, Beijing is exporting its tech governance model across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Huawei and ZTE offer affordable surveillance and communications infrastructure with few questions asked. These tools are bundled with training, cloud services, and soft power. In many places, the Chinese model is now the default.
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