Today we exist in two societies, the real world, and the virtual space. Almost everyone in the world has access to the internet in some way, and we can confidently say that the internet plays a huge role in our lives. So the question, is how big of a role does it play? Well, according to Ian Bremmer, the founder and president of Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy firm, big-tech companies are the new world-changers. In an interview with Marketplace, Bremmer talks about technology as the next world superpower.
Wars are Fought with Technology
Take the war in Ukraine, for example. The power of social media has rallied global support for the people of Ukraine. In fact, it has been talked about so much that Microsoft and SpaceX, two of the world’s frontrunners in tech, have helped the country’s defenses. According to Bremmer, “I don’t think that Zelenskyy is still in power if it’s not for SpaceX providing Starlik on the ground, allowing the commanders to talk to frontline soldiers. I don’t think that Zelenskyy is still there if Microsoft doesn’t provide the cloud computing and cyber defenses to defend Ukraine against Russian attacks.”
Bremmer is saying that wars nowadays are fought on a whole different level than in the past. With the technology we have now, there is no such thing as sabotaging the communications channels of the warring countries. And who holds the power to that? Not world governments, but tech companies.
Of course, we shouldn’t discount government rule, despite the power tech companies have. Governments, after all, hold the key to peace and order in each country. But it is a fact that even the government is heavily influenced by technology. The bias in who we vote for, for instance, can be heavily influenced by technology and social media. And probably one main indicator that technology is the next superpower is the slow process of making laws regulating the newest tech available.
Is AI the Next World Superpower?
Today’s newest advancement in tech is Artificial Intelligence or AI. Every global tech company is making an AI that caters to their website or product. But the laws that regulate AI are pretty much nonexistent yet. The European Union has announced that they will be convening to regulate this, however, Bremmer said that it might take a long time.
“The EU is a very powerful regulatory force. It is also very slow, incremental, and ponderous.” He added, “I have no doubt that these regulations are coming. But I want to be clear that for the next one, two, three years, overwhelmingly, the way that the world and that we as citizens experience this AI is going to be because of decisions that are being made by people who control the companies, not by the governing authorities.”
Thinking that technology decides how our lives will be is something out of a dystopian novel. However, it rings true to our current situation and relationship with it. It sounds polarizing, but the fact remains, that technology has seeped into the very facet of civilization. It has crept into our lives, unknowingly, and it’s here to stay. So forget about any one country dominating the world. Now we see that technology truly is the next world superpower.