Diplomacy in the age of AI: Legal and strategic approaches to techno-nationalism, regulatory soft power and the AI chips race

This article explores how the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race has intensified global com- petition but also created avenues for international cooperation and developments in inter- national law. The study refines the concept of ‘Tech Diplomacy’ and introduces a novel definition of ‘AI Diplomacy’ as distinguished from ‘AI Statehood’ and ‘AI Sovereignty’. The examination concludes by identifying how ‘AI Diplomacy’ through governance and capacity-building can become a tool for international stability and improved relations rather than a divider of nations and considers future trends in AI governance. AI has emerged as both a strategic industrial and technological asset of global competition and an increasingly relevant negotiating instrument of international trade. AI infrastructure, tools and regulations are now influencing international diplomacy and various aspects of international relations including governance, policy and global security. Adopting a qualitative, comparative approach, the study examines the approach of major actors’ (United States, China and the European Union) and their various strategies of techno-nationalism, infrastructure and standards-driven outreach, regulatory diplomacy, and initiatives in emerging regions such as the Middle East and Africa; all illustrative of how the AI race is shaping diplomacy and international law.