The New Technopolitics of War: (Re)imagining Agency and Authority in Military Affairs

Abstract

The growing fascination with so-called emerging and disruptive technologies (EDT) such as artificial intelligence (AI) is already transforming military affairs in profound ways, even if these technologies are not yet properly integrated into military practices and organizations. To make sense of this, the paper examines the sociotechnical imaginaries (STIs) tied to military EDTs and considers their broader political implications. Concretely, it interrogates two distinct albeit interrelated perspectives on how war and military affairs are currently being (re)imagined in light of new technological developments. These are: (1) the emergence of new forms of agency that arise in the interplay between combatants and AI and (2) new forms of political authority that emerge from the growing influence of technology corporations on STIs of war and military affairs. Together, these examples showcase the multifaceted ways in which STIs become entangled with and shape technopolitical transformations in the context of war and military affairs.