US-China Multilateralism in the Age of Military AI

In this paper, Daniel Araya and Alex He examine the shifting global power dynamics driven by the rise of China and the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). Taken together, a rising tide of high-tech weapons development and a return to great-power rivalry are setting the conditions for a tectonic shift in the global security landscape.

Araya and He highlight the strategic challenges posed by these trends and the critical need for multilateral cooperation in managing a new multipolar world order. Their paper makes the call for strengthened diplomatic and military frameworks to mitigate risks, drawing on historical precedents in arms control to guide future governance of AI in military applications.

In this paper, the fifth in the Supporting a Safer Internet series reporting on the prevalence and experience of online gender-based violence, Anja Kovacs considers survey results pertaining specifically to India. Some findings may appear surprising, such as that women in India do not report experiencing online violence significantly more often than men, or that members of gender and sexual minorities, while apparently targeted more frequently, tend to not acknowledge this vulnerability.

Kovacs argues that the continued dominance of a deeply patriarchal culture of social control and discipline in India, and the acute awareness of that power among respondents, explains these and other findings. Her analysis concludes with recommendations on ways to move forward.

Recent developments in applied AI research show that AI-driven tools can reliably characterize satellite behaviour in the near-Earth space environment and could offer opportunities for even richer understanding of international space activities.

In this policy brief, Thomas G. Roberts writes that state- and international-level regulators are well-positioned to use these tools to uphold their responsibilities to promote safe and orderly use of the space domain. However, before adopting these technologies, the international space community should become familiar with their limitations and drawbacks, and advocate for changes that help make these tools more reliable and less likely to cause harm.

Duelling ads are symptomatic of the paradoxical nature of political competition in Ghana in the age of technology and social media, writes John Osae-Kwapong.

On the eve of the December 7 election in Ghana, Osae-Kwapong took a look at the deployment of technology by the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress to court voters in this “messy environment.”

Half the world’s population went to the polls in 2024. This commentary is the tenth in a series from CIGI, created in partnership with the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the University of British Columbia to explore the intersection of technology with the most pivotal among these elections.

“India — now the world’s most populous country, as well as its fifth-largest economy — is a significant voice in evolving cyber norms, not least thanks to a predominantly young and tech-savvy population and rapid digitalization across every aspect of governance, the economy and society. However, without a contemporaneous cybersecurity strategy, it seems to be punching far below its weight.”

In this opinion, Deepak Maheshwari outlines some of the developments and dynamics influencing India’s ambitions, challenges and strategies related to cybersecurity.

“Although each is different, Global South countries share certain economic realities...[and] broadly similar socio-political challenges....Understandably, these issues consume much of the focus and resources of Global South countries, making it difficult for them to turn to potential risks posed by emerging technologies such as AI. But the unfortunate truth is that AI could interact with existing challenges and increase specific risks.”

In this commentary introducing some of the themes of a forthcoming paper, Cecil Abungu, Marie Iradukunda, Raqda Sayidali, Aquila Hassan and Duncan Cass-Beggs urge “those who care about the fate of Global South peoples [to] realize that getting serious about AI generally is not enough. It is crucial that we also get serious about the risks of advanced AI.”

The Digital Policy Hub at CIGI is a collaborative space for emerging scholars and innovative thinkers from the social, natural and applied sciences. Here are the most recent working papers published by Hub fellows from the summer 2024 cohort.

Michael P. A. Murphy: “Canada’s Alliance Politics and the Revolution in Quantum Military Affairs”

Mahatab Uddin: “Generative AI’s Copyright Challenges in Agricultural Extension”

Follow the links on the Hub webpage to learn more about the Hub scholars and their work!

Is refrigeration really that revolutionary?

In episode 7 of Policy Prompt, Vass Bednar and Paul Samson are joined by Nicola Twilley, author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves (Penguin Press, 2024) and co-host of the award-winning Gastropod podcast.

In their conversation, they explore the “modern marvel” of enjoying fresh foods from around the globe year-round, and the science that makes it all possible.