By Futurist Thomas Frey
The Nation-State Model Meets Technology That Doesn’t Respect Borders
Will countries survive the transition to AI, robotics, autonomous vehicles, and space-based infrastructure? The uncomfortable answer is that many won’t—at least not in forms we’d recognize. The nation-state system assumes governments control territory, regulate commerce within borders, and enforce laws on citizens within geographic boundaries. AI, robotics, and space infrastructure systematically demolish every one of those assumptions.
Flying drones absolutely defeat border walls. Autonomous vehicles ignore checkpoints. AI systems operate across jurisdictions simultaneously. Space data centers exist beyond any nation’s legal reach. The entire framework of territorial sovereignty is collapsing faster than governments can adapt, and we’re about to discover which countries have the flexibility to survive the transition and which become obsolete.
Continue reading… “When Borders Become Meaningless: Which Countries Survive the AI Transition?”