Academic Scientific JournalsArtificial Intelligence and Communication Channels: Will Great Powers or Corporations Prevail?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2026.1.06Keywords:
Artificial intelligence, power transition, hegemonic cycles, data sovereignty, soft power, technology corporationsAbstract
This article examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming global balances of power. Against the backdrop of global data production reaching 181 zettabytes annually by 2025, it investigates whether AI’s control over communication channels reinforces traditional state-centric power structures or shifts power towards multinational corporations. Drawing on Joseph Nye’s soft power theory, A.F.K. Organski’s power transition theory, and the long-cycle frameworks of George Modelski and Fernand Braudel, the analysis reveals the rise of hybrid power models characterised by state-corporate partnerships. Supported by contemporary cases including the US–China technology rivalry, the growing influence of Big Tech, the war in Ukraine, and the Anthropic–Pentagon confrontation of 2025–2026, the study demonstrates that data-driven power transitions are compressing hegemonic cycles and that corporations are increasingly adopting autonomous ethical positions.
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