How Technology Empowers—and Imperils—Dictators

This article explores how artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by autocratic regimes to maintain control and reduce reliance on human subordinates. Driven by the desire to minimize the potential for human betrayal and inefficiency, countries like China and Russia are implementing AI systems for tasks ranging from surveillance and censorship to propaganda distribution. The article highlights how these regimes are leveraging AI to monitor officials, suppress dissent, and spread narratives, often with the goal of minimizing the need for human intermediaries and reducing the risk of internal challenges to leadership.