SECURITIZATION OF CYBERSPACE: THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE BY STATES AND VIOLENT NON-STATE ACTORS (2010-2021)
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Date
2023-05-18
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DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Abstract
The introduction of network-based computer systems and the internet in recent times opened an entirely new domain for the world to interact in and here is where cyberspace was born; a virtual domain that connects computers and communication networks worldwide, where interaction for countless shared activities and exchange of information between people and institutions take place all over the world. The increasing interconnectedness of the world through the use of digital technologies has brought with it, new security challenges in the form of strategic competition between states and violent non-state actors (VNSAs) which is characterized by the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet. This research explores this strategic competition between states and VNSAs, under the light of the securitization of the cyber domain by states in response to the threats generated by VNSAs. The main objective of this research is to highlight the role of AI in the strategic competition between state and VNSAs, while simultaneously exploring the securitization of the domain where the competition takes place by using the theoretical framework of securitization theory of the Copenhagen School. The main focus of this research is to explore different ways VNSAs exploit cyberspace and threaten the cyber and critical infrastructure of states through the case studies of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). With the help of the lens of securitization, it evaluates the ways the use of cyberspace by VNSAs is securitized by states. Moving forward the implications of the asymmetric competition are evaluated which are followed by the securitization moves of states for countering this existential threat. The research concludes with recommendations for states to enhance their capabilities for countering the cyber threat generated by VNSAs in cyberspace that fulfills their need for securitization.