Artificial Intelligence and Modern Warfare: Strategic Stability and the Changing Global Balance of Power

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping warfare and the global balance of power. This paper argues that AI’s strategic consequences are determined by socio-political and cognitive contexts, rather than technological determinism. It examines AI’s transformation of intelligence, command and control, and autonomous weapons, alongside the weaponisation of information. Analysing national approaches, including the US, China, Russia, India, and Ukraine, it demonstrates how divergent innovation ecosystems shape AI integration. Critically, the paper highlights risks such as automation bias, algorithmic opacity, and compressed decision timelines that threaten strategic stability and increase the likelihood of inadvertent escalation. The paper concludes that managing military AI requires robust international governance, responsible norms, and ensuring meaningful human control over lethal decisions.