Technological Innovations: A New Model of Geopolitical Digital Relations from Welfare to Warfare?

Abstract

Four are the topics on which the chapter is built, outlined in a consequential pattern that helps to understand what evolution is likely expected for humanity from the current technological revolution. First, the social consequences of technological innovations. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the resulting progressive replacement of human cognitive labor by Artificial Intelligence (AI) will have more significant economic and social implications than any previous industrial revolution, especially in economic geopolitics. The role of technological innovations in societies is regulated through the use (and abuse) of social media. Hence the second argument is the role of digital social media in today's democratic processes. Technological advances require mankind to equip itself with a culture of human-machine connection, even at the ethical level. The third point is the increased risk of autonomous insubordination of electronic machines to humans. Mental warfare integrates cybernetic, informational, psychological, and social engineering capabilities to achieve its ends. It exploits the Internet and social media to sow doubt, introduce conflicting narratives, polarize opinion, radicalize groups, and motivate them to acts that can disrupt or fragment an otherwise cohesive society. The human mind is the battleground. This introduces the fourth and final point on which the chapter dwells: the need for a “digital social contract.” Technology must be put at the service of humanity.