Artificial Intelligence as a Geostrategic Vector in Reshaping the 21st Century Balance of Power

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved beyond its status as an emerging technology to become the primary vector of geostrategic competition in the 21st century. This paper argues that AI is not merely a tool but a new domain of confrontation that fundamentally reshapes the metrics of national power. The original contribution of this article lies in identifying and analyzing the critical asymmetry between the components of digital power. While data and talent are diffusing resources, computing power (hardware) represents a “choke point” that dictates the global hierarchy. By analyzing the competition between the United States and China, the work examines how the race for AI supremacy redefines military doctrines and economic alliances. In addition, the study specifies the impact of this competition on NATO’s Eastern Flank, demonstrating that for states like Romania, the transition toward algorithmic security is not optional but a survival imperative in the face of hybrid warfare. The paper is structured into four chapters covering the foundations of power, military implications, the “Technological Cold War,” and global ideological divergence