The NATO summit concluded with several recommendations, in which it was remarkable that the leaders of the major countries considered emerging technologies as a new threat, according to their final statement, despite their huge investments in them.
According to the final statement of the summit, held in Brussels, which concluded its activities on Monday, the allies said that their countries face challenges in the face of the rise of emerging sciences and technologies in competing countries, as they contributed to signs of Chinese progress. Read also Legislatures against big tech companies China seeks autonomy in technology at ruling Communist Party congress Chinese call for regulation of emerging technology and artificial intelligence Analysis: The war on emerging AI technology is unwarranted
“Increasingly, we face cyber, hybrid and other asymmetric threats, including disinformation campaigns, and the malicious use of increasingly complex emerging and disruptive technologies,” the leaders said.
“The rapid progress in the space field affects our security,” the statement added.
The Allies argued that cyber and cyberattacks could “enable the activation of Article 5 of the Treaty,” which obligates the Allies to assist the target country.
The term “digital sovereignty” emerged in the West after indications of progress in China and Russia in some aspects of modern technology such as artificial intelligence.
Digital Sovereignty
The term “digital sovereignty” has emerged in the West after the emergence of indications of progress in China and Russia in some aspects of modern technology such as artificial intelligence, and calls have been raised in the West to contain this progress as soon as possible.
The Chinese threat to American leadership in the field of information technology is at the fore in the thinking of the policy establishment in America and in other major industrial countries, such as Germany and France, that do not want to lag behind in the race between emerging companies in the United States and China.
In their final statement, the Allies condemned the “intensification of hybrid activities”, especially “attempts to interfere in the elections and democratic elections of the coalition countries”, “large-scale disinformation campaigns”, and “harmful cyber practices that target and impede the work of vital infrastructures of the coalition countries.”
The allies expressed their “concern” about “China’s stated ambitions and resolute behavior” that pose “challenges to the rules-based international order, and in areas of importance to the security of the alliance.”
Nevertheless, the allies expressed their desire to continue a “constructive dialogue” with Beijing “whenever possible”, and called on China to “respect its international commitments and to assume responsibility in the space, cyber and maritime domains in proportion to its superpower status.”
Chinese threats
China competes strongly with the United States in the field of information technology and the emerging cyber field, and China practically outperforms the European Union in this field, although the number of Chinese companies that have received cash financing exceeding one million dollars or more is 398 compared to 890 companies in the European Union and 2,130 company in the United States.
Another area that disturbs Western countries is the stark competition in the field of artificial intelligence between countries and the volume of production of hardware components in the field of information technology, which is a clear indication of the strength in this field.
The issue of competition between countries and nations in the field of artificial intelligence is a powerful means in the hands of politicians to promote the importance of government investment in this field and to pass legislation in support of this industry.
The “United for Startups” group, which represents startups before lawmakers in the world, had reported weeks ago that the European Union had agreed on the so-called “normative rules” that would effectively help improve the working environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs, especially in the areas of competitiveness and technology. In the European Union countries as a response to Europe’s lag in this area compared to the United States and China.
The founders of Europe’s dominant tech companies have long called for reforms to help start-ups thrive and compete with the United States and China, which have knocked out the world’s digital giant.
It is noteworthy that in China, which until recently was lagging behind Europe in this field, companies such as “Alibaba”, “Tencent”, “Huawei”, “Xiaomi”, and many others are now flourishing, and all of these companies are much larger than the largest European technology companies.