AI, Governance, and Law in Digital Geopolitics

Artificial intelligence has become a structural pillar of 21st-century geopolitical competition, shaping governance, law, the economy, and power distribution. Unlike earlier technologies, AI acts as a dual-use catalyst with profound implications for sovereignty and security. This article examines AI as a strategic instrument comparable to nuclear energy or the Internet, through a comparative analysis of China, the U.S., and the EU as architects of the emerging digital order. Global technological rivalry is both material and symbolic, involving control of digital infrastructure and regulatory norms. The central argument is that China's algorithmic governance model operates domestically as a system of control and efficiency and globally as a project to export digital norms. In contrast, the U.S. prioritizes private-sector innovation, while the EU promotes rights-based regulation (Guest & Wei, 2024; Zaidan, 2024). The article concludes that the tension between convergence and fragmentation in AI governance will shape global order, especially in the strategically contested Global South.