Angelo Valerio Toma
In the 20th century, the Cold War was fought with nuclear threats and ideological blocs. Today, a new kind of Cold War is unfolding — one powered not by missiles, but by machine learning. While Washington and Beijing dominate the headlines, the real battleground is neither Silicon Valley nor Shenzhen. It’s Nairobi. It’s Jakarta. It’s Brasília.
Artificial intelligence is becoming the currency of 21st-century geopolitics. What makes this race especially dangerous — and decisive — is the role of the Global South. Once treated as passive terrain for great power games, these countries are now both the testing grounds and the prize in a technological arms race that will shape the future of global power.
Tech Hubs or Digital Colonies?
China is moving fast. Through its Digital Silk Road initiative — the AI-driven arm of its Belt and Road strategy — Beijing exports surveillance technologies, facial recognition systems, and cloud infrastructure to dozens of developing nations. These tools often arrive bundled with generous loans and turnkey solutions, helping governments monitor citizens and manage dissent — all under the banner of development.
In Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Ecuador, Huawei-backed surveillance systems have raised alarms about human rights and data privacy. Yet from local governments’ perspective, the offer is pragmatic: Chinese firms deliver fast, affordable solutions without the regulatory headaches often faced with Western partners. For many, it’s not about ideology — it’s about access.
The United States, meanwhile, is waking up late. The Biden administration’s Digital Transformation with Africa initiative responds to China’s head start. But beyond slogans, Washington faces a credibility gap. Western companies often lack the political backing or sustained funding to compete with state-backed Chinese tech giants like Alibaba Cloud or
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