Artificial Intelligence Impact on Elements of National Power: Implications on Pakistan’s National Security

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has assumed a pivotal role as a determinant of national
power, with a specific focus on its ramifications on military prowess, demographic
dynamics, and economic affluence. This investigation adopts the lens of the Social
Construction of AI theory, which accentuates the sociocultural shaping of AI, employing
a qualitative research methodology to comprehensively grasp the multifaceted impacts
of AI on these three dimensions of national power. The study uses both the primary and
secondary sources to analyse the role of AI in national power. It posits that the
influence of AI is inherently disparate across states, contingent upon a complex
interplay of political, economic, and contextual factors. Within the military realm, states
are channeling substantial resources into the development of advanced weaponry. In
economic domain, the impact of AI-induced transformations on wealth accumulation is
more significant in the developed nations than in the developing ones. Similarly, the
effect of AI on the population of nation and its power can vary based on the unique
domestic factors in each country. This study contends that the trajectory of AI
advancement engenders multifarious implications for Pakistan's national security
landscape.