In order to avoid conflict and accomplish common objectives, diplomacy is the peaceful management of international relations between nations and other international actors through representation, communication, and negotiation. In order to guarantee successful diplomatic relations, this regulated procedure requires excellent communication. Artificial intelligence is a research field that aims to develop computers that imitate human abilities and behaviours. It is a versatile technology that includes many different methods and applications under artificial intelligence. Today, artificial intelligence, which can be used in different areas, from daily household appliances to industrial robots and even military armaments, is known as a basic technological field.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is one of the general-purpose technological products such as electricity and the internet, and the concept of multi-purpose technology is used for general technological processes that can be recognized throughout all development processes, need a lot of improvement at the beginning and eventually become widely used, and have many uses and spreading effects. It is thought that artificial intelligence technology, which has been studied and developed for many years and has many different applications, has the ability to transform every area of life.
Andrew NG, one of the pioneer scientists working in the field of artificial intelligence, defined this technology as a new electrical system.
After its emergence as an academic discipline in 1956, artificial intelligence studies have shown a continuous development until today. The seasonal analogy was used to express the periods of fluctuating development. The early years of artificial intelligence were described as “spring” and following this period, the “summer” period began in artificial intelligence studies. The interest of the United States (US) in this technology played an important role in the development of artificial intelligence research in its early years. During the Cold War, the US, which wanted to gain superiority over the Soviet Union, established the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, DARPA).
The disruption of studies in this field began with the decrease in the US state’s support for artificial intelligence studies. The “artificial intelligence winter”, which began in 1973 with the US Congress’s strong criticism of the high spending on artificial intelligence research, continued until the 1990s.In this sense, it is necessary to question whether the transition from the traditional rule-based approach to the data-driven approach and even to data-independent context-driven autonomous methods is the beginning of the fundamental progress in artificial intelligence technology. I think it may also be necessary to question how using traditional rule-based techniques in systems that operate in accordance with pre-given rules and do not deviate from these norms contributes to the progress in the field of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is dependent on the limitations of people’s inventions and works in line with their directives. As a result of the interest that began in artificial intelligence studies in the 1990s, we can observe that machine learning, an important sub-application of this technology, has begun to be used more widely.
It is necessary to look at whether machine learning is a data-driven approach, unlike the previously used rule-based systems. In the machine learning approach, where three different techniques are used: supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning, it was envisaged that the system would be given data about the problem at hand and therefore the system would be able to determine the solution using this data. Most of us are aware of the fact that the machine learning technique was widely used until the 2010s and as a result, it can be observed that the popularity of artificial intelligence studies has increased again.
Despite all these ups and downs, the most important developments in the field of artificial intelligence have progressed since 2010.
Thanks to the developments in computer and communication technologies, new artificial intelligence techniques have been developed and the use of this technology has been expanded and the development of new techniques after 2010 has ensured that the amount of data in the world has increased rapidly and computer performance has been strengthened. As a result, we can accept that a new era may have begun in artificial intelligence studies.
With the beginning of artificial intelligence, the data that people have has become easily accessible with the emergence of the internet and has become easier to process with powerful computers with new generation processors.
As a sub-branch of machine learning, deep learning technique has started to be used as a result of these developments. In the deep learning technique, which was developed by taking inspiration from the structure of the human brain, data is constantly analyzed with a certain logical structure and similar results are tried to be obtained, as people would do. A multi-layered algorithm structure called neural networks is used in deep learning to achieve this.
If we assume that deep learning, unlike machine learning, will allow multiple layers to be processed simultaneously, this approach will yield more efficient results, especially in the analysis of multiple data types such as video, images, and audio, and will add a new dimension to artificial intelligence research.
States that want to take provincial steps in artificial intelligence have highlighted national strategies for this technology.
Today, many governments have emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence to improve the quality of public services they provide to their citizens, save costs and time spent on administrative tasks, increase productivity and make cities safer. In addition, it is thought that artificial intelligence technology will also contribute to national security and foreign policy in addition to daily public services.
Although diplomacy and technology do not seem to be connected, technological developments have closely concerned diplomacy throughout history, and you may have observed how efficient technology is, from the subjects that diplomacy deals with to the way diplomacy is carried out. More importantly, technological developments in the field of transportation and telecommunications, and the invention of new devices have significantly affected the diplomatic process. The first thing that gave diplomats great mobility on land was the invention of railways. Another important turning point was the invention of the electric telegraph, which provided direct and fast communication between headquarters and missions. Developments similar to these two examples in the field of communication and transportation have facilitated the information and communication processes of diplomacy in particular and have directly affected diplomacy. As mentioned before, you can appreciate that the most important development in the last half-century has been the opening of the Internet to individual use.
The relationship between artificial intelligence technology and diplomacy and its effects on it can be described as related to certain issues.
As a diplomatic issue, we can assume that artificial intelligence is more related to its political infrastructure, which primarily includes economic, military and social issues. If we assume that artificial intelligence technology differentiates existing diplomatic issues in these areas and also shapes brand new issues on the agenda of diplomacy, . This technology also seems to have the power to shape and direct all the upper and lower areas where diplomacy is carried out. For example, the current and potential effects of artificial intelligence technology, especially in the field of intelligence, on the international system can be seen as how it interacts with the diplomacy process as a means of communication and interaction between states. In addition, if the direct effect of artificial intelligence on diplomacy emerges as a result of the use of this technology as a tool of diplomacy, . As stated in the relevant section, it will prove to us the importance of artificial intelligence technology in diplomatic mission functions and the daily duties of diplomats. Although this technology is used in certain functions as of the period, I think it should not be overlooked that there may still be different functional infrastructures that do not benefit from artificial intelligence either.
With today’s rapidly developing scientific data, diplomats no longer prefer to travel to negotiate or manage crises. Instead, we can see them coming together, resolving most conflicts and conducting public diplomacy using digital platforms, which I believe can lead to faster, more direct communication and solutions. AI models can predict possible results of different diplomatic moves or geopolitical events by examining historical data and current patterns. This makes it possible for diplomats to plan more complex scenarios, foreseeing potential outcomes and putting together suitable reactions.
We can easily observe that the primary purpose of today’s technology is communication and public participation and that these digital platforms are used to influence world public opinion and conduct public diplomacy among countries and facilitate interactive communication between states and the masses worldwide.
We know how much impact digital diplomacy has had in the 21st century and we are aware that digital platforms thus play an active role in shaping the way nations interact and communicate on the global stage. One of the main benefits of digital diplomacy is the ability to reach a wider audience, and it is possible to observe that it also exhibits the ability to interact with foreign publics in real-time.
Digital diplomacy and cyber diplomacy are interchangeable, with cyber diplomacy emphasizing security-related issues. Using resources like social media and putting digital foreign policy into practice are both parts of digital diplomacy. Diplomacy is impacted by geopolitical shifts, which include the incorporation of new subjects like cyber security and technological tools like social media. The impact of digital technology on diplomatic activities, including shifting geopolitical and geo-economics environments, new topics on the diplomatic agenda, and cutting-edge instruments for diplomatic efforts like social media and big data, is referred to as digital diplomacy.
To sum up, by automating data analysis, reporting, and several consular activities, artificial intelligence will surely change the instruments and techniques used by diplomats. It won’t, however, take the place of people in the two main diplomatic roles of representation and negotiation and AI emerges as a crucial tool to improve data analysis and predictive modelling in an increasingly interconnected world where the complexity of international relations necessitates more sophisticated techniques. This allows diplomats to make well-informed decisions based on a large quantity of data.I believe that AI has also the potential to, directly and indirectly, alter the state of international law. Establishing new legal organizations or permitting new behaviour, directly creates new legal situations. AI may indirectly change the ideals or incentives that states have when dealing with international law.
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