International Studies and Emerging Technologies Working Group (ISET)

The International Studies and Emerging Technologies (ISET) working group was established in 2021 to promote both the research and the teaching on the impact of emerging technologies, especially technologies like cyber space and artificial intelligence, on contemporary societies and global affairs. Since 2021, the increasing importance of this area for understanding a range of developments in international studies cannot be overstated. 

Technologies have clear implications for areas such as astropolitics as they relate to space exploration, militarisation, or the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources by private corporations. Biomedical research in fields such as longevity, gene editing, and human augmentation create both ethical quandaries for international institutions and opportunities for policy entrepreneurs, as well as shaping global health, food security, and many fields while also potentially exacerbating divides both within states and between states. With the increased prominence of technologies such as drones in armed conflict, or the problematic use of artificial intelligence in the identification and targeting of individuals in conflict cones, technology has clear relevance for war and peace. Surveillance, biometric and algorithmic technologies transform practices of border control. Wider trends towards automation of governance practices and the prominence of transnational technological infrastructures potentially shift the spaces and opportunities for democratic contestation. Geopolitical positioning regarding emerging technologies directly impacts on the foreign policies of governments, including that of the US, with implications for international law, international political economy, and global development. 

To subscribe to the ISET mailing list just fill in our sign up form, or for further information about the working group contact conveners Benjamin Farrand at ben.farrand@ncl.ac.uk or Mike Bourne at m.bourne@qub.ac.uk. 

Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash