International relations are an important part of public relations. They develop in accordance with the laws of the evolution of human social life and are closely related to other spheres of these relations. In modern science, there is a belief that international relations are a specific form of public relations and do not “emerge” directly from the economic basis. From this, it follows that the nature of international relations is determined primarily by the method of production of material goods that are included in the relations of states.
Artificial intelligence is considered a key technology of the 21st century and has the potential to influence the change of the international system. The first research in the field of artificial intelligence was conducted in 1956 by the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. This hypothesis was that “every aspect of human intellectual activity can be described in such a way that technology can reproduce it.”
Further research in the field was conducted by the United States Department of Defense. It should be noted that in the 1970s and 1990s, the US government limited and stopped funding programs due to their inefficiency and impossibility of practical implementation, and survived through an “artificial intelligence winter”. Therefore, in the 2000s, there was progress in deep learning technologies, and artificial intelligence programs entered a new stage of development.
Based on the purpose of the study, these tasks were set: to identify the main problems related to the modern study of the humanitarian aspects of artificial intelligence research; to identify directions and strategies for the study and application of artificial intelligence in international relations; and to accept the next initiative of the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon by the international community in the field of artificial intelligence.
It should be noted that the analysis and systematization of theoretical concepts of artificial intelligence were used as the main methods. Methods of military analysis, analysis of state and international documents made it possible to determine the directions of studying artificial intelligence and its role in international research.
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The theoretical basis of the humanitarian aspects of artificial intelligence is discussed in the works of foreign scientists J. Searle and N. Bostrom. Also, in the works of J. Moore, the foundations of computer ethics and K. Hyun, the role and position of artificial intelligence in international relations are studied.
However, there are such controversial points in the concept of artificial intelligence:
First, there is no clear understanding of what intelligence is. Second, the development of technology at the modern stage cannot fully regulate human behavior. Third, the emergence of ethical issues related to dual-use technologies can affect human development.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is divided into types. Also, a distinction is made between weak artificial intelligence and strong artificial intelligence. Weak artificial intelligence means the ability to develop individual human cognitive functions. Strong artificial intelligence means complex modeling of human intelligence. In this case, the capabilities of such a system will be equal to human capabilities.
At the same time, there is also the concept of “super” artificial intelligence, which is associated with the unity of technology. Therefore, “super” artificial intelligence predicts human capabilities in all areas. From the point of view of general philosophical issues, the field of artificial intelligence considers issues of “private morality”, war and peace, the emergence of “security issues” and decision-making.
There are also paradigmatic differences in the study of artificial intelligence from the perspective of international relations theory. Within the framework of the new realist approach, artificial intelligence is considered as a factor in the potential change in the balance of power in the international system. These include digital warfare, information warfare, information security, and new international security challenges to the creation of sovereign artificial intelligence.
An important area of application of artificial intelligence is digital diplomacy. Therefore, within the framework of the new liberal approach, artificial intelligence is considered a technology of the common good, which carries both risks and opportunities.
The legal and ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, human rights and freedoms in artificial intelligence are considered important and play a key role in the decision-making of non-state actors. At the national level, superpowers develop strategies for the development of artificial intelligence. In 2017, China published the “Development Program for a New Generation of Artificial Intelligence by 2030.” Its strategy outlines a course for global leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.
The first stage, for technological superiority, was the task of reaching the same competitive level as the US by 2020;
The second stage, the need to ensure a key technological breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence by 2025;
The third stage, the dominance of US dominance and the establishment of world leadership.
It is estimated that the total investment in promising areas by 2030 will amount to about $1.5 trillion, with the total market size of artificial intelligence technologies according to the Chinese model reaching $150 billion. At the moment, the United States is one of the main leaders in artificial intelligence technology.
In addition to continuing the programs of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in 2018 it reformed the Joint Center for Artificial Intelligence, which performs expert functions in the field of military applications of technologies. In 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order formalizing the launch of the American initiative on artificial intelligence.
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Also in 2020, the National Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies was published, which outlines the principles of US technological leadership, global cooperation in key technologies, and the importance of risk management.
The US Congress has allocated more than $100 billion for the development of the areas envisaged in the strategy. The US strategic goal is to remain a powerful and innovative force in the field of artificial intelligence, containing competitors from the PRC and the Russian Federation.
In 2020, American companies were banned from purchasing software packages and instructions from Huawei of China and Kaspersky Lab of Russia. The purchase of US components for the production of microcircuits is also prohibited. It is believed that the development of artificial intelligence will lead to a new industrial revolution and become the engine of the technological struggle between the US and China. Therefore, having a strategic advantage in this area ensures the economic progress of the world and the ability to influence the world order.
It is noteworthy that at the supranational level, artificial intelligence is being discussed in the context of international security, sustainable development, ethics and human rights. Since 2013, informal expert discussions have been held on the regulation of laws and amendments to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Intergovernmental expert groups were established in 2017 to continue work in this area. Also, in 2017, the United Nations established a Working Group on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics with the participation of such expert organizations as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Code of Conduct for Financial Instruments (CFI), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
As part of the discussion of sustainable development issues in 2017, the Second Committee of the General Assembly and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held a meeting on “The Future of Everything – Sustainable Development in an Era of Technological Change.” Since 2017, the International Telecommunication Union has been promoting the Artificial Intelligence Agenda, which emphasizes a global perspective on technological development.
Tajikistan has developed its agenda in the field of artificial intelligence in society, and as an initiator, it holds an international conference on artificial intelligence and round tables in the field of professional use of artificial intelligence. In addition, the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for the Period Until 2040 (Resolution of the Government of Tajikistan dated September 30, 2022, No. 483) and the Strategy for the Development of Artificial Intelligence for the Period Until 2040 (Resolution of the Government of Tajikistan dated January 31, 2025, No. 83) were adopted. The Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan was established.
It should be noted that, based on the resolution of the Mayor of Dushanbe, Rustam Emomali, dated May 7, 2019, under No. 276, the “State Unitary Enterprise “Smart City”” of the executive body of the state power of Dushanbe was established. Also, the establishment of the initial base of the digital infrastructure “Smart City” in Dushanbe provides a basis for the introduction of artificial intelligence. International agreements ratified by the Republic of Tajikistan for the adaptation of national standards.
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It is noteworthy that on July 25, 2025, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a draft special resolution entitled “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Creating New Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Central Asia”, which was proposed at the initiative of Tajikistan. It is worth noting that this initiative was proposed by President Emomali Rahmon, during his speech at the General Debate of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2024.
This document, enjoying the unanimous support of the UN Member States, constitutes an important step towards building a global consensus on the safe and ethical use of artificial intelligence, including the development of self-regulatory mechanisms and responsible management of artificial intelligence technologies at the regional and national levels.
In the process of digitization of international relations, the digital transformation of diplomatic agencies and practices is inevitable. The use of big data and artificial intelligence-based algorithms in digital diplomacy has led to the emergence of information diplomacy. In digital and information diplomacy, artificial intelligence is directly used as a tool for predicting the digital behavior of social media users based on the analysis of opinions, preferences, and digital footprints.
Three main aspects of the use of artificial intelligence in diplomacy are distinguished:
1) artificial intelligence as a subject of negotiation;
2) artificial intelligence as a diplomatic tool;
3) artificial intelligence as a factor in changing the context of negotiation.
The impact of AI depends on the emergence of new topics for negotiation, which affects the development of combat robots, as well as changing the focus of current negotiations, for example, on ethical use. In the case of AI as a change agent, this refers to the emergence of new types of conflicts related to the bias of AI algorithms and the use of data, as well as the use of AI in conflict situations.
Thus, in recent years, artificial intelligence has become a widespread topic in international political and expert discussions. These discussions are related to information warfare, issues of sovereign artificial intelligence, issues of technological competition in the field of artificial intelligence, the use of intelligent systems for decision-making, and thematic problems in the world of artificial intelligence.
In international relations, artificial intelligence is considered, on the one hand, as a key technology that affects the distribution of power in the international system as a political tool, and on the other hand, as a subject of international negotiations and cooperation. This is reflected in the national strategies of the world’s superpowers in the field of technology, as well as in UN documents and resolutions on various areas of application of artificial intelligence.
Rahmonzoda Azimjon Sherali
Rahmonzoda Azimjon Sherali is a historian and leading researcher at the Institute for the Study of Asian and European Countries, under the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Holding the academic title of Candidate of Historical Sciences, he brings deep expertise and scholarly insight into the historical and geopolitical dynamics of the region.
