France: A European Pioneer in the Geopolitics of Technology
Under Emmanuel Macron’s leadership, France has emerged as a European pioneer in the geopolitics of technology. The French government is also acting as a driving force in Brussels, aiming to advance the EU’s technological sovereignty. France will likely continue this proactive course after the presidential elections in April 2022, argues Sophie-Charlotte Fischer in this CSS Analysis.
The mastery of key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and 5G is playing an increasingly important role in international relations. On the one hand, emerging technologies, with their numerous applications, promise to significantly strengthen the economic power and military capabilities of states. On the other hand, these technologies also have sociopolitical implications; both their use and their regulation can amplify either democratic or autocratic tendencies. One needs to look no further than the competition between the US and China over technological superiority, and its role in the continued struggle for economic, military, and geopolitical superiority, to see the significant impacts emerging technologies have. In addition, the controversy over the use of Chinese technology in the rollout of 5G networks and the disruption of global supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the national security risks of dependencies in critical technology areas.