Steering the governance of artificial intelligence: national strategies in perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new terrain of contestation in international relations, wrapped in uncertainty about loss of technological control and human oversight. 'Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world', Russian President Vladimir Putin famously stated in 2017 (RT, 2017). Since then, a plethora of public and private actors have issued statements on how AI would change society for the better or for the worse, highlighting infrastructural developments, military applications and impact on jobs and human relations. Some of these statements revealed concrete plans to address AI-related challenges, but the majority remained principled positions on limiting risks associated with disruptive technologies (Ulnicane et al., 2020, Jobin et al., 2019). As recognition grows that tools based on algorithmic processing and machine learning bring about as many promises as commotions, governments are under increased pressure to react for the wellbeing of their citizens and for their raison d'être (Taeihagh, 2021).