Global Reach Across Space and Time

Abstract The last decades of the 20th century witnessed a remarkable growth and expansion of human activities, coupled with transformation and change—all of unprecedented scale and scope. Such tendencies can be labeled as forms of global reach. The dynamics of global reach are not unique to the current time or space. Global reach is defined as a process of extending activities beyond established boundaries, including behaviors affecting (a) the socio-geopolitical system, (b) the natural environment, and (c) the constructed venue of cyberspace. The most familiar manifestations of global reach are lateral in form—that is, characterized by terrestrial features—and governed by common human practices. Reach tends to enhance existing capabilities, generate new ideas for new technologies, or both. In this context, global reach is also about who does what, when, how, why, and where. With artificial intelligence, the concept of reach takes on new manifestations.