Executive Summary
This master's thesis analyzes how Artificial Intelligence and Big Data act as structural modifiers of state power in the 21st century international system. It argues that technology redefines the balance of power and intensifies the security dilemma, using a Neoclassical Realist framework. Case studies of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and US-China rivalry demonstrate technology's impact on hegemony and stability.
Why It Matters
This document is crucial for defense and geopolitical analysts as it explains how AI and Big Data fundamentally reshape international power dynamics, strategic competition, and the security dilemma, directly impacting national security and military strategy.
Key Takeaways
- AI and Big Data are not just tools but structural modifiers of state power, intensifying strategic competition and the security dilemma.
- Low-cost autonomous systems act as force multipliers, enabling weaker states to achieve asymmetric advantages in conflicts like the Russo-Ukrainian war.
- The US maintains its hegemonic position through qualitative superiority in the AI ecosystem and weaponized interdependence, particularly in semiconductor supply chains, against China.
Strategic Relevance
The thesis provides a critical framework for understanding how emerging technologies like AI and Big Data are central to great power competition, redefining military capabilities, economic leverage, and the very nature of international security. It highlights the shift from traditional power metrics to technological supremacy as a determinant of national survival.